as in exaggerated
extended beyond normal or realistic bounds
he's been walking around with an inflated ego every since he got the promotion
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in increased
to make greater in size, amount, or number
Check that you have inflated your tires to the recommended pressure. Some sellers were inflating their prices by as much as 500 per cent.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in accelerated
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
Airbags are designed to inflate automatically on impact.
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of inflated
Jake Angelo, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Introduced in season 4 and continuing through the final fifth season, Vince is a naturally gifted athlete who struggles with an inflated ego when colleges start recruiting him.
—Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Star Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
This week, plaintiff Matthew Stockov filed a lawsuit in a United States District Court of the Northern District of Illinois alleging that Costco inflated its prices due to the tariff shock.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inflated
Adjective
The straight-A students, in other words, likely have parents with straight-A portfolios, but both end up with B- or even C-level experiences in this inflated economy.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Introduced in season 4 and continuing through the final fifth season, Vince is a naturally gifted athlete who struggles with an inflated ego when colleges start recruiting him.
—Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
Beck — along with many other Minnesota farmers — prepays for most of his fertilizer from local cooperatives months ahead of growing season, so the war has not suddenly inflated his fertilizer costs.
—Star Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
This week, plaintiff Matthew Stockov filed a lawsuit in a United States District Court of the Northern District of Illinois alleging that Costco inflated its prices due to the tariff shock.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inflated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflated
Adjective
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Prosecutors warned that the statute encouraged exaggerated or bad-faith claims that would be difficult to disprove years after the fact.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
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This means giving up the exalted and exaggerated idea of the West that boosts a masculinist self-image but severely constricts thought and feeling.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Airport security lines increased, some stretching multiple hours in hubs such as Houston and Atlanta, as TSA officers called out and hundreds across the country quit.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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JetBlue increased the fees as airlines maneuver to cover their rising jet fuel costs, which have soared since the Iran war began.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her unraveling was further accelerated by a growing dependence on drugs.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Bitcoin futures have accelerated this shift.—
Malana VanTyler
March 24,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Back in 2017, as FIU expanded, many students were crossing Southwest Eighth Street to get to and from campus.—
Johane Saintil,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
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The meaning of wellness travel has expanded to include everything from somatic meditation to hormone replacement therapy and grief counseling.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The government shutdown straining Transportation Security Administration staffing has ballooned checkpoint wait times beyond two hours at some major airports.—
John Seewer,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile security lines have ballooned with officials estimating wait times could reach four hours.—
Lautaro Grinspan,
AJC.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport – where wait times swelled to four hours again early Thursday – has seen some of the most severe impacts, along with travel hubs in New York and Atlanta.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
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The interest cost has swelled to $140 million, and the bonds will be paid off after seven years, not five.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Boxing scenes in movies, other than in a handful of classics, tend to start to look all the same, a mishmash of beads of sweat and blood and jowels distended, all fists flying and battering as two men catapult and careen across the ring.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
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My stomach wasn't distended anymore.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Once North Carolina fired Hubert Davis after five seasons, Billy Donovan immediately rose to the top of the list of favorites to become the next head coach of the storied program.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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While consumers worldwide face steep price hikes, Brazilian gasoline prices rose just 5% in March — compared to 30% in the United States.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflated. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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