stagflation
noun
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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
Alan Green / Made By History, TIME, 25 June 2024
Harvard economist and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers fears Trump’s economic proposals and penchant for trade wars could lead to a serious bout of stagflation—the toxic combination of high inflation and low growth that wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy in the 1970s.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 22 June 2024
Dimon on stagflation Bank of America analysts suggested 2024 could be a reverse reflection of 2015, with potential Federal Reserve misjudgments on rate cuts amid inflation pressures.
—Detroit Free Press, 27 Apr. 2024
In 1980, following a period of seemingly poor economic performance—stagflation, marked by slow growth and rising prices—President Ronald Reagan assumed office on the promise of ramping up the economy.
—Joseph E. Stiglitz, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2020
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Stagflation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stagflation. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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