hyperinflation

noun

hy·​per·​in·​fla·​tion ˌhī-pər-in-ˈflā-shən 

: extreme or excessive inflation: such as

a

: excessive distension with air or gas

hyperinflation of the lungs

b

: extreme economic inflation with prices rising at a very high rate in a very short time

But the policy also fueled hyperinflation that experts say left Iran's economy weaker in the long run.

—Ramin Mostaghim

also : a period of such inflation

While every company may employ any of a variety of cash investment options during hyperinflation, every successful company has one policy in common …

—Gerald Swanson

hyperinflationary

ˌhī-pər-in-ˈflā-shə-ˌnər-ē 

adjective

Examples of hyperinflation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The country is mired in a prolonged crisis brought on by years of hyperinflation, political corruption, economic mismanagement and an ineffectual government. —Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025

Poland opted for a strategic series of stabilization measures that managed to avoid crushing hyperinflation or the rise of oligarchs that have come to dominate some neighboring states to this day. —Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025

In addition to political persecution, returning Venezuelans would reenter a country teetering on collapse—maligned by hyperinflation, soaring unemployment, rampant crime, frequent power outages, water shortages and chronic scarcities of food and medicine. —Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025

Mismanagement, corruption, and violence within the government of Nicolas Maduro, amidst the price collapse, resulted in hyperinflation, scarcity, and instability that crippled the country. —Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hyperinflation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

hyperinflation

noun

hy·​per·​in·​fla·​tion -in-ˈflā-shən 

: inflation that increases very quickly over a short period of time

Medical Definition

hyperinflation

noun

hy·​per·​in·​fla·​tion ˌhī-pə-rin-ˈflā-shən 

: excessive inflation (as of the lungs)