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

Why this memo has blown up the BBC The BBC is at an inflection point. —Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025

Many more professions than ever may now be facing a similar inflection point. —Ross Benjamin, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025

Hanson said there have been many inflection points throughout American history where major dissatisfaction has led to change, citing the Civil Rights movement and, in an extreme example, the Civil War. —Emily Guskin, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2025

This year’s edition revealed an industry at an inflection point. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Nov. 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