exponential

English

Pronunciation

(UK) enPR: ĕk-spō-nĕn'-chəl, IPA^(key): /ˌɛk.spəʊ.ˈnɛn.tʃəl/
(US) enPR: ĕk-spō-nĕn'-chəl, IPA^(key): /ˌɛk.spoʊ.ˈnɛn.tʃəl/
Audio (US) (file)

Adjective

exponential

Relating to an exponent.
(mathematics) Expressed in terms of a power of e.
(mathematics) Of or relating to exponential growth or exponential decay.
(proscribed) Having a high or rapid rate of change.

Usage notes

In casual speech, the term is sometimes used loosely to refer to anything that changes rapidly. This usage is often discouraged unless the growth in question is truly exponential; synonyms such as dramatic may be favored instead.

Antonyms

nonexponential

Derived terms

biexponential
exponential decay
exponential distribution
exponential equation
exponential function
exponential growth
exponentiality
exponentialize
exponentially
exponential object
hyperexponential
monoexponential
multiexponential
nonexponential
preexponential
subexponential
superexponential
triexponential

Translations

relating to an exponent

Arabic: أُسِّيّ‎ (ʾussiyy)
Armenian: ցուցչային (cʿucʿčʿayin)
Bulgarian: експоненциален (eksponencialen)
Catalan: exponencial
Czech: exponenciální
Dutch: exponentieel (nl)
Finnish: eksponentiaalinen (fi)

German: exponentiell (de)
Greek: εκθετικός (el) (ekthetikós)
Norwegian: eksponensiell
Portuguese: exponencial (pt)
Tagalog: paulitin
Turkish: üssel (tr), üstel (tr)

expressed in terms of a power of e

Arabic: أُسِّيّ‎ (ʾussiyy)
Bulgarian: експоненциален (eksponencialen)
Finnish: eksponentiaalinen (fi)
French: exponentiel (fr)
German: exponentiell (de)
Greek: εκθετικός (el) (ekthetikós)
Hebrew: מעריכי‎ (ma'arichí), אקספוננציאלי‎ (he) (eksponentziáli)

Hungarian: exponenciális (hu)
Polish: wykładniczy m
Portuguese: exponencial (pt)
Russian: экспоненциа́льный (ru) (eksponenciálʹnyj)
Tagalog: paulitin
Turkish: üssel (tr), üstel (tr)

having a high or rapid rate of change

Arabic: أُسِّيّ‎ (ʾussiyy)
Finnish: eksponentiaalinen (fi)
German: exponentiell (de)
Greek: εκθετικός (el) (ekthetikós)

Portuguese: exponencial (pt)
Spanish: exponencial (es)
Turkish: üssel (tr), üstel (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

French: ^{(please verify)} exponentiel (fr)

Noun

exponential (plural exponentials)

(mathematics) Any function that has an exponent as an independent variable.

References

UCS - The World’s Population Hasn’t Grown Exponentially for at Least Half a Century