inflated

American  

[in-fley-tid] / ɪnˈfleɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. distended with air or gas; swollen.

2. puffed up, as with pride.

3. turgid or bombastic.

   his inflated prose.

4. unduly increased in level.

   inflated costs.

5. Economics. unduly expanded in amount, value, or size; characterized by inflation.

6. Botany. hollow and enlarged or swelled out.

   inflated perianth.

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Other Word Forms

• inflatedly
  adverb
• inflatedness
  noun
• underinflated
  adjective
• uninflated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of inflated

First recorded in 1645–55; inflate + -ed ²

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.

Example Sentences

The changes are aimed at reducing long waiting lists of up to six months, and preventing slots from being bulk-bought by bots and firms who resell them to learner drivers at inflated prices.

From BBC • May 11, 2026

It’s been a feature of booms that asset-heavy companies’ shares were all the rage as they inflated.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

But the deal had to be unwound within a decade with the falling fortunes of AOL, which used an inflated share price for the deal.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

If the value of a fund’s purchased loans is inflated by an arcane accounting rule, investors may suffer significant losses when these loans become due.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

As intended, the pressure from the rover blasted the canvas outward and inflated it.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

• bloated
• magnified
• overblown
• swollen