inflationary spiral
1
7.7
- noun
- /ɪnˈfleɪʃənɛri ˈspaɪrəl/
:
espiral inflacionaria
- The country faced a serious inflationary spiral as prices and wages soared, leading to a rapid decline in the value of money.
Examples
-
The planning board became interested in austerity because an inflationary spiral and a severe labor and capital shortage were harming Korea's traditional export sectors.
Academic text (1992) -
Sure, it causes an inflationary spiral.
Blog text (2) -
Each one works for a while but ultimately serves only to keep the lid on loosely rather than to end the inflationary spiral.
Academic text (1996) -
While this radicalism saved workers from substantial wage losses, it also helped fuel the inflationary spiral and prevented a negotiated solution to the economic crisis.
Academic text (1996) -
Despite the inflationary spiral, some genuinely distinguished professors can still be spotted at the podium when the goodies are being dished out.
Academic text (2002) -
So the political heat shield around the Fed, built over a generation on the foundation of then-Chairman Paul Volcker's steel-nerved determination to end the inflationary spiral in the early 1980s, is thinning quickly.
Academic text (2011) -
Experts warn that without intervention, we could enter an inflationary spiral where continuous price hikes erode purchasing power.
-
During the crisis, the government's policies inadvertently triggered an inflationary spiral that made everyday goods unaffordable for many families.
Antonyms
- Specialized
1
9.5
A situation when falling prices and wages cause more falls and make the economy worse
How Severe
- Specialized
25
7.3
1
7.7
- Specialized
424
3.8
2
3.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'inflationary' (related to rising prices) with 'spiral' (an accelerating or self-reinforcing process), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes a self-reinforcing, accelerating rise in prices/wages. The metaphorical use of 'spiral' for escalating processes is common across languages, making the composition generally predictable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Inflationary spiral gives a clear picture: the word inflationary means rising prices, and the word spiral shows a repeating upward turn where higher prices lead to higher wages, and higher wages push prices up again. That's why it means a cycle where 'prices and wages rise' and money loses value.