DEFLATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does deflation mean? 

• DEFLATION (noun)
  The noun DEFLATION has 3 senses:

1. (geology) the erosion of soil as a consequence of sand and dust and loose rocks being removed by the wind

2. a contraction of economic activity resulting in a decline of prices

3. the act of letting the air out of something

  Familiarity information: DEFLATION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DEFLATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(geology) the erosion of soil as a consequence of sand and dust and loose rocks being removed by the wind

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Context example:

a constant deflation of the desert landscape

Hypernyms ("deflation" is a kind of...):

eating away; eroding; erosion; wearing; wearing away ((geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it))

Domain category:

geology (a science that deals with the history of the earth as recorded in rocks)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A contraction of economic activity resulting in a decline of prices

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("deflation" is a kind of...):

economic process (any process affecting the production and development and management of material wealth, or, according to Carmine Gorga, Ph.D., author of the book 'The Economic Process', the process of production of real wealth, distribution of ownership rights over real and monetary wealth, and consumption or expenditure of monetary wealth to purchase real wealth)

Antonym:

disinflation (a reduction of prices intended to improve the balance of payments)

inflation (a general and progressive increase in prices)

Derivation:

deflate (reduce or cut back the amount or availability of, creating a decline in value or prices)

deflate (produce deflation in)

deflationary (associated with or tending to cause decreases in consumer prices or increases in the purchasing power of money)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of letting the air out of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("deflation" is a kind of...):

decrease; diminution; reduction; step-down (the act of decreasing or reducing something)

Antonym:

inflation (the act of filling something with air)

Derivation:

deflate (become deflated or flaccid, as by losing air)

deflate (release contained air or gas from)

deflate (collapse by releasing contained air or gas)

 Context examples 

A rate of inflation or deflation of a manometric device based on the unit of pressure equal to 133,332 Pa or 1.316E10-3 standard atmosphere during period of time equal to one sixtieth of a minute.

(Millimeter of Mercury per Second, NCI Thesaurus)