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

His peace initiative, backed by several Arab governments, marks an inflection point for the broader political question of Palestinian aspirations for their own nation in Gaza and the West Bank, where another 3 million Palestinians reside. —Karl Vick, Time, 23 Oct. 2025

The drama surrounding Prince Andrew has seemingly reached an inflection point, and that comes with a lot of interest in the reactions from the people close to him. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 21 Oct. 2025

The 2010s marked an inflection point. —Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 17 Oct. 2025

As Tesla’s focus shifts towards AI, robotics and sustainable energy products, the company is at an inflection point. —Shane Goodwin, Fortune, 14 Oct. 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