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
Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Negative impacts from President Donald Trump’s intensifying global trade war could include stagflation and an even more drastic drawdown in the stock market, according to Torsten Slok, Apollo Global Management’s chief economist.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2025
The firm expects up to a year of stagflation from the tariffs.
—Josh Fellman, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2025
But many economists are taking a different view, warning that the tariffs could lead to more dire economic scenarios, including a recession or stagflation.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 3 Apr. 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 25 Apr. 2025.
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