exponentially

[ ek-spoh-nen-shuh-lee, ‐spuh‐ ]

adverb

1. at a steady, rapid rate:

   The cost of a college education has increased exponentially over the last 30 years.

2. Mathematics. at a continuous rate of growth or decay that can be calculated using the constant e, according to the rules of raising e to the power of a positive or negative exponent:

   Any population growing exponentially must, sooner or later, encounter shortages of resources.

   The measurable rate at which a radioactive nuclide’s atoms decay exponentially is the basis of radiometric dating.

Other Words From

• non·ex·po·nen·tial·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of exponentially¹

exponential ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

As the number of internet users increases and tech companies develop more ways to integrate the online world into shopping, online retail is expected to grow exponentially.

From Search Engine Watch

Every day, we are each exposed to hundreds, even thousands of advertisements — a number that’s grown exponentially thanks to the internet.

From Freakonomics

Each of those beams is amplified to increase its energy exponentially.

From Science News

If cases continue to grow exponentially, however, stricter lockdowns may be the only tool left to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.

From Science News

Conlon, of the California Institute of Technology, and Ferber, of the University of California, Irvine, found a new “lower bound” for multicolor Ramsey numbers that is exponentially more precise than the previous best estimate.

From Quanta Magazine

But time, which had stood still for so long, was now accelerating exponentially.

From The Daily Beast

That was in 2006 in Georgia, but in 2009, the project moved to New York and exponentially grew across the globe.

From The Daily Beast

This problem, one of many plaguing the region due to Ebola, gets exponentially worse with every new victim.

From The Daily Beast

“Such a clandestine and pathological way of drinking increases the chances of becoming an alcoholic exponentially,” says Alireza.

From The Daily Beast

The number of humans getting mauled, for one thing, would rise exponentially.

From The Daily Beast

Things that grow exponentially, they just don't know when to quit.

From Project Gutenberg

Tremendous parallelism ensures the vitality of the exponentially increasing number and types of transactions.

From Project Gutenberg

Brains tend to grow exponentially through interaction and they have an unparalleled economic value added.

From Project Gutenberg

They mushroom exponentially into proportions that usually threaten the national economy and the very fabric of society.

From Project Gutenberg

But we have used it several times near a large sun, and the power drainage goes up exponentially.

From Project Gutenberg