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inflationary spiral
noun
: a continuous rise in prices that is sustained by the tendency of wage increases and cost increases to react on each other
Examples of inflationary spiral in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That track record should engender some faith; on the whole, central bankers act responsibly, and healthy industrial economies aren’t prone to regular inflationary spirals.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 May 2012
Those included the sweeping impact of the pandemic, which crashed the vital tourism sector, and then the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which disrupted global supply chains and accelerated the inflationary spiral that dragged Sri Lanka’s economy into the abyss.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 20 July 2022
While the banking crisis persists, fiat currencies continue their inflationary spiral, with record high inflation hitting western economies such as the United States and Europe.
—Leeor Shimron, Forbes, 3 May 2023
The concern is that as employers are desperate to hire, workers will push for higher wages, which then have to be offset by higher prices, causing an inflationary spiral.
—Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2023
This is a potential inflationary spiral.
—NBC News, 17 Oct. 2021
That's what's known as inflationary spiral.
—Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 14 July 2021
Former treasury secretary Lawrence H. Summers has repeatedly warned that by keeping interest rates near zero and by buying $120 billion in bonds each month, the Fed is risking a repeat of the inflationary spiral that began in the late 1960s.
—BostonGlobe.com, 22 June 2021
The Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Prices at the wholesale level continued an inflationary spiral in November, rising at a 9.6% annual rate, according to the Labor Department's producer price index.
—The Associated. Press, Arkansas Online, 14 Dec. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inflationary spiral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1931, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of inflationary spiral was
in 1931
Dictionary Entries Near inflationary spiral
Cite this Entry
“Inflationary spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inflationary%20spiral. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
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