inflationary spiral

noun

Definition of inflationary spiral

: a continuous rise in prices that is sustained by the tendency of wage increases and cost increases to react on each other

Recent Examples of inflationary spiral from the Web

One of the big ones is the possibility of setting off a further inflationary spiral.

— mimi whitefield, miamiherald, "Cuba desperately needs to reform currency system, but timing couldn’t be worse | Miami Herald," 4 Apr. 2018
By Jason Overdorf Even as India's government pours $5 billion into a scheme to ease rural unemployment, its plan may be contributing to an inflationary spiral that's making the cost of living more burdensome for the country's poor.

— Newsweek, "Amazing Photos of Bioluminescent Phytoplankton," 14 Mar. 2018
The union victory in the famous GE strike during the Nixon administration won salary increases for workers but contributed to an inflationary spiral.

— thomas s. hibbs, National Review, "‘The End of Loyalty’ and the Surge in Populist Sentiment," 31 Aug. 2017
The government printed even more money in the run up to the constituent assembly vote last Sunday, adding to the inflationary spiral, said Francisco Rodriguez, a prominent Venezuelan economist at Torino Capital in New York.

— anatoly kurmanaev, WSJ, "Venezuela Says It Defeated Attack by Soldiers Urging Others to Rebel," 6 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inflationary spiral.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.