Inflation (Noun)
Meaning 1
The act of filling something with air.
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Antonyms
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
(cosmology) a brief exponential expansion of the universe (faster than the speed of light) postulated to have occurred shortly after the big bang.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural events.
Examples
- The inflation model in cosmology proposes a rapid expansion of the universe in the very early stages after the Big Bang.
- Alan Guth first introduced the concept of inflation in the 1980s to address certain problems with the original Big Bang theory.
- During inflation, the universe expanded exponentially and faster than the speed of light, resulting in a nearly homogeneous and isotropic universe.
- This inflationary period is thought to have smoothed out any irregularities in the universe and explains the observed uniformity of the cosmic microwave background radiation.
- Inflation in the context of cosmology remains a topic of active research and debate among scientists as they try to reconcile the theory with observational evidence.
Hypernyms
Meaning 3
A general and progressive increase in prices; "in inflation everything gets more valuable except money".
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related Words
Meaning 4
Lack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity.
Classification
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects.