stagflation

noun

stag·fla·tion ˌstag-ˈflā-shən

: persistent inflation combined with stagnant consumer demand and relatively high unemployment

stagflationary

ˌstag-ˈflā-shə-ˌner-ē

adjective

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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

Recent Examples on the Web Goldilocks is getting stronger and the risk of stagflation is fading. —

Bryan Mena, CNN, 25 July 2024 The commercial hub weathered the stagflation of the 1970s and early 1980s, as well as recessions in 1991 and 2008. —

George Avalos, The Mercury News, 19 July 2024 Driven by the stagflation of the 1970s, the recession of the early 1980s, and more recently the Great Recession, HR’s focus increasingly shifted to relentless cost cutting. —

Peter Cappelli ranya Nehmeh, Harvard Business Review, 17 June 2024 Governments proved hapless at addressing the resulting stagflation, a stagnant economy alongside skyrocketing inflation. —

Alan Green / Made By History, TIME, 25 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for stagflation

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stagflation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.