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

Mamdani’s win comes at an inflection point for the Democratic Party, reeling from the 2024 presidential election and bruising House and Senate races, and struggling to counter the Trump administration. —Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

Following more than a week of Israeli strikes on various targets in Iran – which had prompted retaliatory strikes from Tehran – the U.S. move marks a possible inflection point in the conflict. —Javed Ali, The Conversation, 22 June 2025

In the meantime, this weekend marks an inflection point for Vice, as the sheer volume of live sports on its schedule will provide viewers with a preview of where the brand is heading. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 21 June 2025

The opportunity now is to turn this inflection point into a sustained decline. —Laurence Tubiana, Time, 18 June 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