- In economics, inflation is the rise in the general level of prices.
- In cosmology, astrophysics, and astronomy, inflation (cosmic inflation) is the idea—first proposed by Alan Guth (1981)—that the nascent universe passed through a phase of exponential expansion that was driven by a negative positive energy density (with negative vacuum pressure).
- With respect to a system of matter, inflation is distention of matter by a fluid or gas.
- In the furry fandom, inflation is the process, through role-playing or furry art, by which a fur is inflated by any of various substances, usually by air, fat, liquid, and/or muscle.
- Inflation, however, is not limited to the furry fandom, it has spread into many other forms of art and is even practiced in real life.
