Meaning & use
exponential increase
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Meanings
phrasesingular
A rise in which an amount grows by an ever-larger multiple, so the curve gets steeper and steeper.
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase: an exponential increase in something.
Patterns
- an exponential increase in something
- show an exponential increase
- an exponential increase of something
The graph shows an exponential increase in online sales after the app was released.
Bacteria in a warm dish undergo an exponential increase until the food runs out.
There has been an exponential increase in the number of electric cars on these roads.
phrasesingularinformal
A very fast, rapidly accelerating growth of anything, used loosely in everyday speech.
Grammar: Often used informally for any sharp rise, even when the growth is not strictly mathematical.
Patterns
- see an exponential increase
- an exponential increase in demand
We saw an exponential increase in visitors once the video went viral.
Her confidence grew with an exponential increase after the first win.
Common combinations
- an exponential increase in
- Scientists recorded an exponential increase in sea temperature.
- show an exponential increase
- The data show an exponential increase over the last decade.
- experience an exponential increase
- The city experienced an exponential increase in housing costs.
- an exponential increase in demand
- Holiday bookings caused an exponential increase in demand for flights.
- an exponential increase over time
- The number of users grew in an exponential increase over time.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sharp rise
- A sharp rise is simply a big, quick jump and says nothing about the shape of the growth.
- rapid growth
- Rapid growth stresses speed, while exponential increase stresses that each step multiplies the last.
- explosive growth
- Explosive growth is more dramatic and informal, often used in news about markets or populations.
Opposites
Word family
- exponential adjective
- Describing growth that multiplies at an increasing rate.
- exponentially adverb
- In a way that multiplies faster and faster.
- exponent noun
- The small raised number showing how many times a value is multiplied by itself.
Commonly confused: exponential increase or exponential growth? exponential increase or linear increase?
exponential increase vs exponential growth
Growth and increase are close, but growth is the general process while increase is the measured rise; in math, exponential growth is the standard term.
exponential increase vs linear increase
A linear increase adds the same amount each time, so its graph is a straight line, not a steepening curve.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'exponential increase' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed pattern is 'an exponential increase in something', so option 1 fits. 'Of' and 'for' do not go with this phrase, and option 3 drops the article 'an', which the singular countable phrase needs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exponential increase”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.