stagflation
noun
Did you know?
Stagflation is a portmanteau, that is, a word that blends two others (in this case, "stagnation" and "inflation"). The first documented use of the word appeared in 1965 in the writing of British politician Iain Macleod, who wrote, "We now have the worst of both worlds - not just inflation on the one side or stagnation on the other, but both of them together. We have a sort of 'stagflation' situation." Macleod is often credited with coining the term, and his linguistic invention was quickly embraced by economists in the United States, who used it to refer to the period of economic sluggishness and high inflation that affected the country in the 1970s.
Examples of stagflation in a Sentence
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
The prospect of stagflation is increasingly plausible.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
The stock market indexes are near all-time highs, but inflation and unemployment concerns are rising, and whispers of stagflation put the Fed between a rock and a hard place.
—John Walkup, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The report soothed stagflation fears and added to hopes that the Federal Reserve could actually cut more times this year than previously anticipated.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stagflation
Cite this Entry
“Stagflation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stagflation. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share