Etymology

From exponent +‎ -ialCategory:English terms suffixed with -ial#EXPONENTIAL.

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: ĕk-spō-nĕn'-chəl, IPA^(key): /ˌɛk.spəˈnɛn.t͡ʃəl/, /ˌɛk.spəʊˈnɛn.tʃəl/Category:English 4-syllable words#EXPONENTIALCategory:English 4-syllable words#EXPONENTIALCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#EXPONENTIAL
• (US, Canada) enPR: ĕk-spō-nĕn'-chəl, IPA^(key): /ˌɛk.spəˈnɛn.t͡ʃəl/, /ˌɛk.spoʊˈnɛn.t͡ʃəl/Category:English 4-syllable words#EXPONENTIALCategory:English 4-syllable words#EXPONENTIALCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#EXPONENTIAL

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

    Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#EXPONENTIAL
• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˌek.spəˈnen.t͡ʃəl/Category:English 4-syllable words#EXPONENTIALCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#EXPONENTIAL

Adjective

exponentialCategory:English lemmas#EXPONENTIALCategory:English adjectives#EXPONENTIALCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#EXPONENTIALCategory:Pages with entries#EXPONENTIALCategory:Pages with 1 entry#EXPONENTIAL

1. (mathematicsCategory:en:Mathematics#EXPONENTIAL) Expressed in terms of an exponent (power of a base), the base often being 10 or e.

   In base-10 exponential form, 1,000,000 is written as 10⁶.Category:English terms with usage examples#EXPONENTIAL

   If not otherwise specified, "the" exponential function is normally understood to mean e^x.Category:English terms with usage examples#EXPONENTIAL

2. (mathematicsCategory:en:Mathematics#EXPONENTIAL) Characterised by a rate of change that is proportional to the value of the varying quantity, or, equivalently, by a doubling or halving over successive fixed intervals of time or other parameter, described as exponential growth or exponential decay.

   Coordinate terms: arithmetic, geometric

   There were two deaths on Monday, four on Tuesday, and eight on Wednesday. The rate of increase seems exponential.Category:English terms with usage examples#EXPONENTIAL

   • 2013, Yvelyne Germain-McCarthy, Bringing the NCTM Standards to Life: Best Practices, High School, page 101:

     ... Students apply the definition of slope to various representations of growth functions to discover differences between exponential and constant rate of growth.

     Category:English terms with quotations#EXPONENTIAL

3. (loosely) Characterised by a very rapid rate of change, especially increase, or merely a very large amount or degree.

   Near-synonyms: extreme, huge

   There's been an exponential rise in the number of crimes reported this year, compared to last year.Category:English terms with usage examples#EXPONENTIAL

   • 2011, Michael Kiers, College Convo - Overview of College Admissions :

     If loans are not what you are looking for, then search for scholarships [...] I have been putting together scholarship letters for parents over the past decade, and there is an exponential amount of money to be had.

     Category:English terms with quotations#EXPONENTIAL

     Category:Quotation templates to be cleaned
   • 2013, Daniel M. Gerstein, National Security and Arms Control in the Age of Biotechnology :

     It is also about an arms control forum that has been meeting just once every five years for decision making on topics that are moving with exponential velocity [...]

     Category:English terms with quotations#EXPONENTIAL

     Category:Quotation templates to be cleaned
   • 2018 July 31, Alvin Carpio, “Is it time to automate politicians?”, in The Economist:

     Of course, one can creatively conjure up a host of things robot-politicians can do at exponential speed and scale, from shaking hands and kissing babies to handling the fundraising “robocalls” that frustrate American voters.

     Category:English terms with quotations#EXPONENTIAL

Noun

exponential (plural exponentials)Category:English lemmas#EXPONENTIALCategory:English nouns#EXPONENTIALCategory:English countable nouns#EXPONENTIALCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#EXPONENTIALCategory:Pages with entries#EXPONENTIALCategory:Pages with 1 entry#EXPONENTIAL

1. (mathematicsCategory:en:Mathematics#EXPONENTIAL) Any function that has an exponent as an independent variable.

   Synonym: exponential function

References

• UCS - The World’s Population Hasn’t Grown Exponentially for at Least Half a Century
• “exponential”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.