inflationary spiral
noun
: a continuous rise in prices that is sustained by the tendency of wage increases and cost increases to react on each other
Examples of inflationary spiral in a Sentence
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According to the White House, the US is brokering the sale of hundreds of millions of oil barrels – profits from which are already hitting the street and calming the inflationary spiral, to the point that Caracas this month felt cheaper to me than in December.
—
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Typically, maturing economic expansions see accelerating wages that often spook the Fed into tightening to prevent a wage-price inflationary spiral.
—Jeffrey Schulze, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
But a Fed driven by a president’s political whims could cut rates or keep them lower than appropriate, risking an inflationary spiral that lasts long beyond the next election.
—Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2026
Paul Volcker raised interest rates and kept them up until the inflationary spiral was broken.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
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Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Typically, maturing economic expansions see accelerating wages that often spook the Fed into tightening to prevent a wage-price inflationary spiral.
—Jeffrey Schulze, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
But a Fed driven by a president’s political whims could cut rates or keep them lower than appropriate, risking an inflationary spiral that lasts long beyond the next election.
—Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2026
Paul Volcker raised interest rates and kept them up until the inflationary spiral was broken.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflationary spiral
Cite this Entry
“Inflationary spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inflationary%20spiral. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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