Blown up with air or gas; exaggerated beyond the truth; also means prices or values increased beyond reasonable levels.
From Latin 'inflatus' (blown into), from 'in-' (into) + 'flare' (to blow). The physical meaning (full of air) came first, then evolved to mean exaggerated.
The phrase 'inflated ego' became wildly popular in the 1900s, perfectly capturing how we use physical descriptions—puffed up, expanded—to describe personality traits, showing how metaphor shapes how we think.
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