inflection point

noun

Definition of inflection point

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 An inflection point for the county came on a Saturday night in April, when a gathering of hundreds of Maryland and D.C. teenagers in a parking lot outside the Dave & Busters in Capitol Heights turned deadly. — Washington Post, 30 May 2021 The inflection point of the ‘J’ happens at around a 70/30 breakdown of base pay vs variable pay. — Alison Escalante, Forbes, 21 May 2021 One inflection point came in 2016, when officers from several Bay Area police departments were accused of exploiting a teenage girl. — Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 May 2021 Republican Kevin McCarthy is leading his party to an inflection point, preparing to dump Rep. Liz Cheney from the No. 3 House leadership position and transform what's left of the party of Lincoln more decisively into the party of Trump. — Lisa Mascaro, ajc, 7 May 2021 The Celtics’ loss to the Kings on Friday night has led them to an inflection point. — BostonGlobe.com, 20 Mar. 2021 Their survey found rates of laughter take a dive after the age of 23, or really, at the major inflection point of adulthood after college. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2021 The higher education market is currently at a unique inflection point in being able to offer greater access to study abroad opportunities. — Anthony Rotoli, Forbes, 12 May 2021 The Gaetz drama has become an inflection point for the GOP — testing whether the party can extricate itself from the most troublesome Trump hangers-on, or if the former president has created an effective template for their durability. — Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inflection point.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

7 Jun 2021

Cite this Entry

“Inflection point.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inflection%20point. Accessed 13 Jun. 2021.

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