butterfly effect

noun

: a property of chaotic systems (such as the atmosphere) by which small changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variation in the future state of the system

Examples of butterfly effect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And who knows what kind of butterfly effect a loss there might have had in the tight NL wild card race, where, counting tiebreakers, the Diamondbacks finished two games ahead of the seventh-place Cubs? —Jerry Beach, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Credit: Everett Several Twilight Zone episodes tackle the butterfly effect with time travel stories. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2023

This brainy series imagines a butterfly effect leading to a more robust space exploration program and reshaping our history and culture. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024

Applied mathematicians have spent decades figuring out how to quantify and sometimes ameliorate butterfly effects; recent advances in remote sensing and data collection are now helping to improve the fidelity of the models. —Dan Rockmore, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024

These were the accidents of history, the butterfly effect that ran through the three very different societies my pilgrimage had taken me to. —Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023

People may be familiar with the butterfly effect, the theory that a slight change can drastically affect the future. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 9 Nov. 2023

Can Barry get around the butterfly effect of his meddling long enough to make his family whole? —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2023

When the victim turns out to be the son of a ruthless underworld figure, Michael moves to cover up Adam’s involvement — triggering a lethal and ever-widening butterfly effect that destroys several lives, including Adam’s, Michael’s and an entire innocent family’s. —Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above