Greedflation
Etymology
A blend of "greed" and "inflation" that spread during the 2021–2023 price surge. Economists are divided on how much it explains — some see clear profit expansion, others argue supply shocks and demand drove most of it — so treat it as a contested framing, not a settled diagnosis.
noun · /GREED-flay-shun/
The claim that companies raised prices beyond their rising costs to fatten profits during a bout of inflation.
What it names
A popular explanation for why prices climbed and stayed high, putting corporate pricing power, not just costs, at the center of the debate.
Example
When corporate profits hit records while prices soared, commentators reached for "greedflation" to explain the gap.
Related idea
A pricing-power cousin of rent-seeking: capturing extra gain from market position rather than from added value, though here through prices rather than lobbying.