butterfly effect

American  

noun

1. a cumulatively large effect that a very small natural force may produce over a period of time.

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butterfly effect British  

noun

1. the idea, used in chaos theory, that a very small difference in the initial state of a physical system can make a significant difference to the state at some later time

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butterfly effect Scientific  

/ bŭt′ər-flī′ /

1. A phenomenon in which a small perturbation in the initial condition of a system results in large changes in later conditions. Such phenomena are common in complex dynamical systems and are studied in chaos theory.

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Usage

What does butterfly effect mean? The butterfly effect is the idea that small events can have a large, unpredictable influence on the future. How is butterfly effect pronounced?[ buht-er-flahy ih-fekt ] What are some other words related to butterfly effect?

• chaos theory
• fractals
• domino effect
• snowball
• divergence

Etymology

Origin of butterfly effect

First recorded in 1980–85; so called from the notion that the fluttering of a butterfly's wings may set off currents that will grow into a large storm

Example Sentences

Manus, created by startup Butterfly Effect, can sift through and summarise resumes or create a stock analysis website, according to its website.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

Early versions of Manus were created by engineers at Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology, which was founded in China in 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Manus, created by startup Butterfly Effect, can sift through and summarise resumes or create a stock analysis website, according to its website.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

Early versions of Manus were created by engineers at Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology, which Xiao founded in 2022, and many of the company’s top people including Xiao are Chinese citizens.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Manus’s parent company, Butterfly Effect, was set up by Chinese co-founders in China, but last year it moved its headquarters to Singapore, seeking to expand its global user base.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026