TechnologyAugust 22, 2026

hyperinflation

HY-per-in-FLAY-shun

Definition

A period of rapid, excessive, and out-of-control general price increases within an economy, typically causing the local currency to lose its value almost entirely.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek prefix 'hyper-' meaning 'over' or 'beyond,' combined with 'inflation,' which comes from the Latin 'inflare' meaning 'to blow up' or 'inflate.'

In the news

The article uses this term to contrast the traditional crypto use-case of escaping unstable local currencies with the new, emerging use-case of AI agents paying for machine services.

Crypto’s next billion users might be AI agents, and they’re paying with stablecoins

Read the full article ↗

CoinDesk

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