Exponentially
ˌɛkspəˈnɛnʃəli
Definitions
In a way that is becoming more and more rapid.
ˌɛkspəˈnɛnʃəli
At a rate that increases rapidly.
The company's revenue grew exponentially during the last quarter.
💡 Simply: Imagine a snowball rolling down a hill. At first, it's small, but as it rolls, it picks up more snow and gets much bigger, much faster. That's something growing exponentially!
👶 For kids: Growing super fast, like a plant getting bigger every day.
More Examples
The use of social media has increased exponentially in recent years.
As the virus spread, the number of infected cases rose exponentially.
How It's Used
"The value increases exponentially."
"Profits grew exponentially after the new marketing campaign."
"The population of bacteria increased exponentially in the petri dish."
From 'exponent' (a mathematical term derived from Latin 'exponere', meaning 'to put forth' or 'explain') + '-ial' (suffix indicating 'of or relating to') + '-ly' (suffix forming adverbs). Relates to rapid growth or change, as described by exponents in mathematics.
The term 'exponentially' gained significant use with the development of calculus and exponential functions in the 17th and 18th centuries, expanding from pure mathematics into fields like finance and biology in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Memory tip
Think of a graph where the curve goes up very quickly. Exponential means that things are getting bigger and bigger, faster and faster.
Word Origin
"to put forth, explain (exponere)"