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
Steve Vernon, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
In combination, both forecasts point to early signs of stagflation.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 19 June 2025
The Fed’s new economic forecasts, however, raised concerns among analysts of the risk of stagflation.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 19 June 2025
Government debt is enormous and stagflation is looming With debt-to-GDP at 260% and the Bank of Japan already owning more than half of outstanding Japanese government bonds, the country’s leadershop boxed in.
—Catherine Baab, Quartz, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stagflation
Cite this Entry
“Stagflation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stagflation. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.
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