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

That's the like inflection point, not the person becomes a millionaire or a billionaire. —Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025

Between Chronosphere and its deal to buy identity-security leader CyberArk , Palo Alto Networks is setting itself apart in the AI era by adding two platforms just as their respective markets hit key inflection points. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 24 Nov. 2025

In some ways, the 2025-26 season feels like an inflection point in Mobley’s career — a chance to become something new — in order for his team to out-run the ghost of LeBron, to win the championship. —Mirin Fader, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025

The entire industry remains at an inflection point, with major deals and strategic positioning up in the air. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 19 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