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

As French politicos jockey for influence in the wake of Deranque’s death, has Europe reached its own Charlie Kirk-esque inflection point? —Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 20 Feb. 2026

The demotion may have been an in-season wake-up call, but the season, as a whole, was an inflection point. —Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026

Yet Walmart’s results for the holiday quarter could mark an inflection point in the world of retail. —Melissa Repko, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026

Thankfully for all of us, that wasn’t the case in Dallas in July 1966 — leading to a moment that became an inflection point along the way to this critical mass. —Kansas City Star, 15 Feb. 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