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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 Corporate America is at an inflection point as well.
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Crystal E. Ashby, Fortune, "There is no shortage of black talent in corporate America," 18 June 2020 The George Floyd protests represent another major inflection point in American history.
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National Geographic, "How will the protests end? History tells us much depends on how government responds," 12 June 2020 That puts more scrutiny on economic reports this week as investors look for confirmation that Friday's jobs report was a true inflection point and not just an aberration.
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CBS News, "Nasdaq notches new record as investors bet on economic rebound," 8 June 2020 But as Major League Soccer appears to be nearing an inflection point in its planning for resuming play in 2020, the fitness-aspect of the individual workouts could take on greater meaning.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, "FC Cincinnati workouts: 'At least you see your friends, your teammates and have a good day'," 18 May 2020 The 36-year-old Niou, the first Asian-American Assemblywoman in Manhattan, and the first Asian-American legislator that Chinatown has ever had, fully grasps this inflection point in our country.
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Leah Carroll, refinery29.com, "Yuh-Line Niou Is Fighting For Chinatown’s Survival," 4 May 2020 This includes the concern, based on risk analysis, that climate risk may be at an inflection point.
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WSJ, "Sustainability Is Part of Good Risk Assessment," 30 Jan. 2020 But vague and scattershot efforts, coupled with President Donald Trump’s uncoordinated leadership, have left other countries in Asia questioning Washington at this inflection point.
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Timothy Mclaughlin, The Atlantic, "China Uses the Pandemic to Take Hong Kong's Autonomy," 22 May 2020 In Wuhan, the crucial inflection point for the virus’s broader transmission occurred over a six-week period, from early December to January 15.
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Laurie Garrett, The New Republic, "How Trump and Xi set the stage for the coronavirus pandemic," 2 Apr. 2020
See MoreThese 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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Time Traveler for inflection point
The first known use of inflection point was circa 1708
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