inflection point

[ in-flek-shuhn point ]

noun

1. Also called flex point [fleks, point], Mathematics. a point on a curve at which the curvature changes from convex to concave or vice versa.
2. a point at which a major or decisive change takes place; critical point:

   We’re at an inflection point where we’ll see the technology move forward at a much faster pace.

Word History and Origins

Origin of inflection point¹

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

It will be 10,000 years before the story reaches that inflection point with, I’m sure, many head-scratching twists and turns along that road that this series never has to deal with.

From Salon

This autumn marks an inflection point for Olympic organizers as they transition from planning to the nuts-and-bolts of getting things done.

From Los Angeles Times

In an interview after he rallied for Democratic congressional candidates two days before the election, Newsom didn’t want to discuss the reality of the election as a critical inflection point in his own political future.

From Los Angeles Times

“There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me,” DeVos wrote in her letter of resignation to the president.

From BBC

Fifty years later, as we sit at another inflection point in our nation’s history, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre can still offer us a way to understand the dynamics of this moment—and possibly the next.

From Slate