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

Now, imagine a platform where someone in Argentina experiencing hyperinflation can preserve their wealth by investing in tokenized Treasury bills. —Bryan Benson, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

Recall Russia in the early 1990s – with hyperinflation, empty store shelves and Boris Yeltsin standing atop a tank after beating back a coup. —Ron Insana, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024

Under Maduro – in office since 2013 – oil-rich Venezuela has fallen into a deep economic and political crisis, gripped by hyperinflation. —Alejandra Jaramillo and Chris Lau, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025

Rumors of frozen deposits have echoes of the hyperinflation following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the country's financial crisis in 1998, in which many Russians lost their life savings. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025

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)