headline inflation

noun

economics

: a measure of inflation that is based on an unadjusted price index

… but core inflation has indeed been a much more reliable guide than headline inflation, which fluctuates wildly.

—Paul Krugman

compare core inflation

Examples of headline inflation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While headline inflation is likely to undershoot the target this year, core price growth remains elevated and requires close attention, Jan Prochazka said in an interview, highlighting the services and housing spheres. —Peter Laca, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026

Gary Raines, chief economist at FDRA, told FN that with headline inflation in 2025 the slowest in five years, retail footwear prices were mostly flat on the year, the weakest also in five years. —Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 13 Jan. 2026

This is why focusing on headline inflation misses the larger, persistent threat. —Gene Ludwig, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2026

This is the first time that the ABS has released the complete monthly consumer price index, as the government transitions from quarterly CPI to using the monthly gauge as the primary measure for headline inflation. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 26 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for headline inflation

• acclimatisation
• acclimatization
• acidification
• actualization
• annualization
• autocorrelation
• autoregulation
• beatification
• beneficiation
• biodegradation
• biotransformation
• bureaucratization