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

Trying to make this situation sustainable without adjusting fiscal policy or raising interest rates, as recommended by some advocates of modern monetary theory, is a recipe for hyperinflation. —Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2019

In the aftermath of 2008, when central banks aggressively grew the money supply, many economists leaned on monetarism to predict imminent hyperinflation. —Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak and Paul Swartz, TIME, 31 July 2024

The cause was an unusually nasty election that ignited long-standing tensions between Peruvians who admired Fujimori for vanquishing the Shining Path and hyperinflation and anti-Fujimoristas who saw him as democracy’s biggest menace. —Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2023

Plummeting oil prices, widespread shortages and hyperinflation that soared past 130,000% led to social unrest and mass emigration. More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014, the largest exodus in Latin America’s recent history. —Regina Garcia Cano, TIME, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

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)