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

Deutsche Bank upgrades Packaging Corp to buy from hold Deutsche says the packaging company is at an inflection point. —Michael Bloom, CNBC, 4 May 2026

Tony voters have a pattern of recognizing actors at exactly this kind of cultural inflection point. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 3 May 2026

This year’s sales arrive, as always, at something of an inflection point for the market. —Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 3 May 2026

That is what leadership looks like at an inflection point. —Chris Brandt, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2026

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