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

In each case, the inflection point occurred when the technology achieved near-total distribution—ownership, modification, and integration into diverse local contexts by a broad population of users, developers, and enterprises. — Gerui Wang, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

While minimal, the return to growth marks a notable inflection point after seven consecutive quarters of negative sales growth for the division. — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 27 July 2026

Yet, as the WNBA descends upon Chicago for All-Star weekend, Engelbert is reaching an inflection point in her tenure. — Annie Costabile, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Kasandra Kachakji grew up at the inflection point of these two cuisines. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 24 July 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