as in affectation
the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case
the personal essay accompanying his college application was devoid of the inflation and self-aggrandizement that all too often is found in such writings
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inflation
Other data releases, including the all-important monthly jobs report and the Fed’s go-to inflation metric as well as key insights on consumer spending, have been sidelined.
—
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
That looks like inflation on labor and material costs along with tariff price increase, according to the earnings call.
—Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2025
The restaurant and hotel businesses have already been slammed by $20-per-hour minimum wages and high inflation caused by poor government policy.
—Letters To The Editor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
Electricity prices surged by about 6.2% for the year ending in August, more than double the rate of annual inflation, at 3%.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflation
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
That looks like inflation on labor and material costs along with tariff price increase, according to the earnings call.
—Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2025
The restaurant and hotel businesses have already been slammed by $20-per-hour minimum wages and high inflation caused by poor government policy.
—Letters To The Editor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
Electricity prices surged by about 6.2% for the year ending in August, more than double the rate of annual inflation, at 3%.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflation
Noun
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The way Koko is received for her affectation is part of what’s frustrating to watch, too.—
Jihan Forbes,
Allure,
29 Oct. 2025
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In retrospect, Kinetta feels like a dry run for Lanthimos, with all the droll affectation of his later provocations but little of the allegorical power or lunatic comedy that would distinguish them.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In a post dripping with arrogance, Lynch dished out demeaning nicknames for her recent opponents.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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This propensity for mental acrobatics, alongside his immense arrogance, was how Epstein rationalized his crimes to himself.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His memoir told of workhouse guards beating prisoners on the least pretense, and of one guard who regularly shoved prisoners down flights of stairs.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said in a May report that women from more than 20 African countries had been recruited under false pretences to make drones for Russia’s war.—
Reuters 16 hr ago,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Ron Rosenbaum on the Icon and the Enigma To be caught in the spotlight of our pretensions is the worst kind of embarrassment there is.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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Few things jar the delicate pretensions of the cocktail sophisticate so much as a drink with a chicken on top.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
Denver Post,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Further forward lies a galley, lobby, and an owner’s suite with an office, vanity, walk-in wardrobe, and en suite.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
4 Nov. 2025
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The camera then panned to her vanity to reveal a Sephora bag — teasing her new holiday brand deal — knocked over with some items missing.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
1 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inflation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflation. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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