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

Debuted in 1978, this particular model represents a significant inflection point in design and mechanics for Cartier. — Adam Erace, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026

That shift is the inflection point the AI industry is navigating today. — Jessica Vitiritti, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

The timing of the tech giants' flagship releases, days ahead of the summit, has revived debate over whether China's AI industry has hit an inflection point. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026

But a permanent commissioner provides the certainty and reliability FDA leadership needs to turn this shift into a true inflection point for the agency. — Scott Gottlieb, STAT, 22 Sep. 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