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

Catch up quick: Protests across the nation last year reached an inflection point as the school year was ending, with Columbia as the epicenter of the movement. —April Rubin, Axios, 17 Aug. 2024

The industry continues to evolve, and Paramount is at an inflection point where changes must be made to strengthen our business. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Aug. 2024

This is an inflection point where the ability to thrive may necessitate re-adaptation and optimization to coincide with the rapidly changing reality of modern day-to-day life. —Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 24 July 2024

For example, the release of the iPhone was an inflection point that led to the creation of entirely new industries and business models. —Vivek Wadhwa, Fortune, 19 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1708, in the meaning defined at sense 2