inflated
Americanadjective
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distended with air or gas; swollen.
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puffed up, as with pride.
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turgid or bombastic.
his inflated prose.
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unduly increased in level.
inflated costs.
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Economics. unduly expanded in amount, value, or size; characterized by inflation.
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Botany. hollow and enlarged or swelled out.
inflated perianth.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inflated
Explanation
If it's puffed up and overrated, it's probably inflated — a simple adjective that means blown out of proportion or exaggerated. Think of a balloon. You blow and blow, and it gets bigger and bigger. Sometimes if you blow too much it takes on a distorted shape, or even explodes. Now use that same imagery, but swap the balloon for someone's ego or the price of U2 concert tickets. Both personalities and prices can get inflated beyond reasonableness — the personalities with pretentious hot air and the prices with unnecessary cost.
Vocabulary lists containing inflated
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Now, with annual tuition at five figures, nearly every course is an easy A or B. Inflated GPA nirvana comes at an inflated price.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
Inflated dealer inventories, labor unrest, management turnover, rising quality costs, tariffs, and other issues weighed on profitability.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
Inflated prices are only part of the story.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 13, 2026
Inflated prices became commonplace: The city paid over $311 a night at the two-star Holiday Inn Express on Kings Highway in Brooklyn to house migrants.
From Slate • Jul. 17, 2025
Inflated by his successes on the board, his ego had begun to shut out other people.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
