exponential

[ ek-spoh-nen-shuhl, -spuh- ]
See synonyms for exponential on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of or relating to an exponent or exponents.

  2. Mathematics.

    • of or relating to the constant e.

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

  1. rising or expanding at a steady, rapid rate:a city experiencing exponential growth.

noun
  1. Mathematics.

    • the constant e raised to the power equal to a given expression, as e3x, which is the exponential of 3x.

    • any positive constant raised to a power.

Origin of exponential

1
First recorded in 1695–1705; exponent + -ial

Other words from exponential

  • ex·po·nen·tial·ly, adverb
  • non·ex·po·nen·tial, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for exponential

exponential

/ (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. maths raised to the power of e, the base of natural logarithms: Symbol: exp

  1. of or involving an exponent or exponents

  2. informal very rapid

noun
  1. maths an exponential function, etc

Derived forms of exponential

  • exponentially, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for exponential

exponential

[ ĕk′spə-nĕnshəl ]


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

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.