inflection point

noun

1

: a moment when significant change occurs or may occur : turning point

At 18, Bobby is at an inflection point that will largely determine the course of his life.

—Stacy Perman

… the gradual move away from big-iron machines toward work stations and personal computers has been going on for years in corporate America—but the inflection point came suddenly.

—Steve Lohr

It depends on us, on the choices we make, particularly at certain inflection points in history; particularly when big changes are happening and everything seems up for grabs.

—Barack Obama

2

mathematics : a point on a curve that separates an arc concave upward from one concave downward and vice versa

Examples of inflection point in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 1996 Moment, All Over Again The web is at an inflection point. —Mehdi Daoudi, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025

The secondhand market reflects some of Ireland’s cultural inflection points: An allegiance to sport with racks of vintage O’Neills in every color to inspire your inner Connell, romantic skirts and bold costume jewelry that speak to the poets and writers that have made the island famous. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2025

Subscribe to hear this story On Sunday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: After suffering a devastating loss in last November’s elections, the Democratic party is at an inflection point. —Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025

The industry is now at an inflection point where AI and automation are essential for securing self-checkout environments. —Yevgeni Tsirulnik, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1708, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for inflection point

• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint
• midpoint
• nonpoint
• pinpoint
• standpoint