Actually that operational definition was made up to specifically confuse what was once a simple definition and to confound the vast majority of people that can't figure out that the system is screwing them. It is the "baffle them with bull****" part of the "If you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with bull****".

The original definition of inflation was the increase of money supply. It was only later that the definition was changed to confuse and baffle the sheeple so they would not know they were being monetarily screwed. The natural occurrence of prices tending to lower by increases in productivity is masked by monetary inflation causing price inflation. So when we measure price inflation, it is actually much worse than stated because prices should actually be getting cheaper for anything that is produced more efficiently than it used to be. The inflation shell game. Hide the pea under the natural deflation shell.

Now I try to be careful when I talk about inflation and specify if it is "monetary inflation" or "price inflation". The first leads to the second, but it is not always immediate and linear.

John