exponential

American  

[ek-spoh-nen-shuhl, -spuh-] / ˌɛk spoʊˈnɛn ʃəl, -spə- /

adjective

1. of or relating to an exponent or exponents.

2. Mathematics.

   1. of or relating to the constant e.

   2. (of an equation) having one or more unknown variables in one or more exponents.

3. rising or expanding at a steady, rapid rate.

   a city experiencing exponential growth.

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noun

1. Mathematics.

   1. the constant e raised to the power equal to a given expression, as e 3 x, which is the exponential of 3 x.

   2. any positive constant raised to a power.

exponential British  

/ ˌɛkspəʊˈnɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. maths (of a function, curve, series, or equation) of, containing, or involving one or more numbers or quantities raised to an exponent, esp e x

2.  exp.  maths raised to the power of e, the base of natural logarithms

3. of or involving an exponent or exponents

4. informal very rapid

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noun

1. maths an exponential function, etc

exponential Scientific  

/ ĕk′spə-nĕn′shəl /

1. Relating to a mathematical expression containing one or more exponents.

2. ◆ Something is said to increase or decrease exponentially if its rate of change must be expressed using exponents. A graph of such a rate would appear not as a straight line, but as a curve that continually becomes steeper or shallower.

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Other Word Forms

• nonexponential
  adjective
• exponentially
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of exponential

First recorded in 1695–1705; exponent + -ial

Explanation

Exponential describes a very rapid increase. An exponential rise in the number of first graders with head lice might be a result of all the hat sharing that's gone on lately. Exponential is also a mathematical term, meaning "involving an exponent." When you raise a number to the tenth power, for example, that's an exponential increase in that number. When your next door neighbor describes the exponential growth of her rose bushes or the exponential increase in members of her book group, she means that there's been a sharp, fast expansion of both things.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exponential

I think there have been upward of 1,200 petitions filed in this district alone, which is an exponential rise.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

"All our aspirations on digital growth are reliant on the assumption of readily available energy, but that is not growing in line with the exponential growth of AI."

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Morningstar’s William Kerwin told MarketWatch recently that Micron’s exponential revenue growth has been coming at nearly “pure profit” thanks to dramatic price hikes on memory products.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 28, 2026

The unwanted aquatic occupant grows at an exponential rate and blooms can double in size in a day, Bidelspach said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

Though he didn’t have exponential notation, he invented something comparable, and his calculations were essentially equivalent to the following.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos