BharatNotes Inflation
nounUsage in a UPSC answer
Persistent food and fuel inflation disproportionately burdens the poor, who spend a larger share of income on essentials, making price stability not merely a monetary objective but a question of distributive justice and inclusive growth.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
inflate (v), inflated (adj), inflationary (adj), deflation (n), reflation (n), stagflation (n)
Root
Latin īnflātiō = expansion, blowing up; in- = into; flāre = to blow
Etymology
From Latin īnflātiō ("expansion, blowing up"), derived from īnflāre ("to blow into"), combining in- ("into") + flāre ("to blow"); first used in an economic context in the mid-19th century to describe monetary expansion, and later applied to rising price levels.
Memory Hook
Picture a balloon inflated with hot air — Latin flare "to blow." When too much money is "blown into" an economy, prices swell up just like that balloon.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
A sustained rise in the general price level, meaning a fall in the purchasing power of money. India operates a flexible inflation targeting framework built around a target with a tolerance band, and the framework rather than any current reading is what an answer should discuss. Two distinctions carry most questions: demand-pull inflation arising from demand exceeding capacity, and cost-push inflation arising from higher input costs, since the appropriate policy response differs between them.
Don’t Confuse It With
Inflation is a sustained rise in the general price level. Deflation is a sustained fall, which is more damaging because it raises real debt burdens. Disinflation is a slowing of the rate of increase, not a fall in prices. Stagflation combines inflation with stagnant growth and defeats the standard policy response.
Hindi Meaning
मुद्रास्फीति (mudrāsphīti); अपस्फीति (apasphīti) is deflation.
Common Questions
- What is inflation?
- A sustained rise in the general level of prices, which reduces the purchasing power of money.
- What is the difference between demand-pull and cost-push inflation?
- Demand-pull inflation arises when demand exceeds productive capacity. Cost-push inflation arises from rising input costs such as fuel or wages, and each calls for a different policy response.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2025 — Money and Banking
- Prelims 2024 — Money and Banking
- Prelims 2022 — Banking
- Prelims 2020 — Inflation
- Prelims 2019 — Banking
- Mains 2024 · GS3 · 10 marks — Indian Economy
- Mains 2022 · GS2 · 15 marks — Governance
- Mains 2019 · GS3 · 10 marks — Indian Economy
- Mains 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marks — Agriculture / Economy
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Inflation” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
