inflationary spiral

American  

noun

Economics.

1. spiral7

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inflationary spiral British  

noun

1. the situation in which price and income increases may each induce further rises in the other

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Etymology

Origin of inflationary spiral

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

That began to change in 1950, when the process of paying for war expenses had triggered an inflationary spiral.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2025

Still, with all that was learned from the 1970s, it might seem surprising that we’d find ourselves in another great inflationary spiral.

From Seattle Times • May 17, 2024

A survey of households released on Monday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed a sharp decline in consumers’ inflation expectations, supporting the view that an inflationary spiral is not taking hold.

From New York Times • Aug. 9, 2022

That predictability was hard-won by central bankers who did roughly the same thing, decade after decade, giving the markets confidence that there would never be another inflationary spiral.

From Washington Post • Mar. 14, 2022

Devaluation of its Francophone currency by 50% in January 1994 did not set off an expected inflationary spiral but the government must continue to keep a tight reign on spending and wage increases.

From The 1995 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency