exponential

exponential — adjective

1. describing a process where the amount or speed of something grows faster and fas

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a process where the amount or speed of something grows faster and faster over time — like a technology that jumps from a hundred users to a million in a few months, or a cost that doubles each year.

Example

The company's revenue doubled every six months, showing exponential growth that outpaced all competitors.

exponential + growth — most common collocation

Aiko watched the exponential rise in her monthly podcast listeners.

Common collocations
  • exponential growth
  • exponential rate
  • exponential rise
  • exponential increase
  • exponential pace
  • exponential trend
Synonyms
  • explosive

    suggests sudden, dramatic growth, often with destructive force; more dramatic than 'exponential'

  • meteoric

    emphasises very fast but possibly short-lived rise; less precise about steady acceleration

  • rapid

    general term for fast increase; does not imply that the speed is still accelerating

Antonyms
  • gradual

    describes slow, steady change over time

  • linear

    describes growth at a constant rate, not an accelerating one

Grammar Patterns

exponential + noun (growth/rate/rise/pace)

be + exponential

Usage Note

Common in business, technology, and public-health writing. The adjective is used both before nouns ('exponential growth') and after linking verbs ('the increase was exponential'). The adverb form 'exponentially' ('to grow exponentially') is equally frequent.

Common Mistakes

The company's costs grew exponential.
The company's costs grew exponentially.
'exponential' is an adjective; after a verb, use the adverb 'exponentially'.
There was a exponential rise in sales.
There was an exponential rise in sales.
'exponential' begins with a vowel sound, so the article must be 'an'.

2. relating to a mathematical operation in which a quantity is raised to a power —

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

relating to a mathematical operation in which a quantity is raised to a power — for instance, the expression 2³ involves the base 2 and the exponent 3, making it an exponential statement.

Example

The students learned to solve exponential equations like 2ˣ = 32 in their Thursday algebra class.

exponential + equation — common math term

Ravi drew an exponential curve whose y-values climbed from 1 to 32 in five steps.

Common collocations
  • exponential function
  • exponential equation
  • exponential curve
  • exponential expression
  • exponential term
  • exponential form
Synonyms
  • logarithmic

    the inverse relationship; used for the opposite type of function

  • power-law

    describes relationships of the form y = xⁿ; similar but not identical to exponential

Antonyms
  • linear

    describes a constant rate of change (y = mx + b), not a power-based relationship

Grammar Patterns

exponential + noun (function/equation/curve/expression)

Usage Note

Restricted to mathematics and related technical fields (physics, engineering, computer science). Typically appears attributively before nouns such as 'function', 'equation', or 'expression'. Learners below C1 level are unlikely to encounter this sense outside a formal math class.

Word family

  • exponent
    nounC1
  • exponentially
    adverbB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe fast change, but they highlight different patterns. 'Rapid' is the most general — it simply means very fast, without saying whether the speed is steady or accelerating. 'Dramatic' adds a sense of surprise or impressiveness: a dramatic rise catches attention. 'Explosive' suggests sudden, violent growth, like an explosion that happens all at once; it implies intensity rather than sustained acceleration. 'Meteoric' compares growth to a shooting star — extremely fast but possibly short-lived. 'Exponential' is the most precise: it describes growth that not only goes up quickly but also speeds up over time, doubling or multiplying at ever-shorter intervals. A company's sales might grow rapidly in a good month, but only exponential growth means each new month adds more than the last one did.

explosive ↗meteoricrapid ↗dramatic ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from the Latin verb 'exponere' (to put forth, to set out), formed from 'ex-' (out) and 'ponere' (to place). In the 1600s, French mathematicians used 'exposant' for the small number that shows how many times a base is multiplied by itself. English borrowed 'exponent' and later 'exponential' for this mathematical meaning. The modern figurative sense — describing any rapidly accelerating process — became common in the mid-1900s as people used 'exponential growth' to describe population, technology, and economic trends.