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

But while these rocks have acted as a silent witness to generations of climbers who have chalked their fingers and attempted to move valiantly upward, the sport on the whole is at a unique inflection point, with women increasingly stepping in and showing their prowess on new routes. —Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2026

Running through Khosla’s argument is a generational inflection point. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026

The year 2025 was an inflection point in contemporary fashion. —José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026

Higher education is at an inflection point. —Jeremy Haefner, Denver Post, 4 Mar. 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