exponential
adjective
ex·po·nen·tial
ˌek-spə-ˈnen(t)-shəl 
1
: of or relating to an exponent
2
: involving a variable in an exponent
10x is an exponential expression
3
: expressible or approximately expressible by an exponential function
especially
: characterized by or being an extremely rapid increase (as in size or extent)
an exponential growth rate
Examples of exponential in a Sentence
The business has experienced several years of exponential growth.
Prices have increased at an exponential rate.
103 is an exponential expression.
Recent Examples on the Web
While humanity won’t be building a Dyson sphere any time soon, our ability to harvest energy has rapidly increased over the past two centuries — thanks to the Industrial Revolution and the discovery of fossil fuels, our energy use is now on an exponential growth curve.
—
Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026
That would mean exponential growth in computational tasks does not require a corresponding exponential growth in hardware or electricity usage.
—Gregor Henze, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
And, despite exponential growth in capacity, the average hard drive’s life span remains just under seven years.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
There are moments when the book, in defending Giacometti, seems to overburden his oeuvre with an exponential set of aesthetic, intellectual, and political problems, from resolving the tensions between modernism and the avant-garde to a singular working through of national trauma.
—Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exponential
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Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026
That would mean exponential growth in computational tasks does not require a corresponding exponential growth in hardware or electricity usage.
—Gregor Henze, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
And, despite exponential growth in capacity, the average hard drive’s life span remains just under seven years.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
There are moments when the book, in defending Giacometti, seems to overburden his oeuvre with an exponential set of aesthetic, intellectual, and political problems, from resolving the tensions between modernism and the avant-garde to a singular working through of national trauma.
—Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exponential
Cite this Entry
“Exponential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exponential. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
exponential
adjective
ex·po·nen·tial
ˌek-spə-ˈnen-chəl
: of, relating to, or involving an exponent
xⁿ is an exponential expression
Medical Definition
exponential
adjective
ex·po·nen·tial
ˌek-spə-ˈnen-chəl
: expressible or approximately expressible by an exponential function
an exponential growth rate
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