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

Also since this is an inflection point. —Kansas City Star, 14 Dec. 2025

While speculative, this interpretation aligns with how institutions often behave at inflection points. —Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 13 Dec. 2025

Sahm, who helped design the Fed’s framework for interpreting labor-market inflection points, argues timing is crucial. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 10 Dec. 2025

With a tip of the hat to Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, Baumbach uses a movie star’s journey through Europe to reflect on various inflection points in his life where his career took precedence over personal relationships. —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 5 Dec. 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