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.
A rare Monday earnings report for Apple will give investors a glimpse into how new CEO John Ternus is managing inflated memory prices and a tougher backdrop for consumer spending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Critics have compared the deals to the dot-com era, when companies inflated their growth by investing in startups that then bought their products.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
Some investors have expressed concerns that the AI rally has inflated some shares too much.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Sharp and short-lived sell-offs were common as the dotcom bubble inflated, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
The vending machine in the laundromat hasn't worked for months, so I walk across the street to the gas station—the one that: leaves its giant inflated Santa Claus up year-round—to get a bottle of juice.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
