shadow inflation

[ shad-oh in-fley-shuhn ]

noun

, Economics Informal.

1. the phenomenon of decreasing quantity or diminishing quality of goods and services compared to a comparable purchase that previously had more value at the same price point:

   Does your favorite restaurant suddenly have smaller portions, cheaper ingredients, or fewer servers, for the same old price? Blame the economy for this shadow inflation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shadow inflation¹

First recorded in 1975–80