Meaning & use
exponentially
Last updated
Meanings
adverbnot comparablemathematics
In a way that increases by multiplying by a fixed amount each step, so the growth speeds up the larger the total becomes.
Grammar: Goes with verbs of change such as grow or increase: the numbers grew exponentially.
Patterns
- grow exponentially
- increase exponentially
- decay exponentially
Bacteria in the dish multiplied exponentially, doubling every twenty minutes.
The balance of the loan grows exponentially when interest is added to interest.
Because each infected person passed the virus to three others, cases rose exponentially.
adverbnot comparableinformal
Extremely quickly or by a very large amount, used loosely for any dramatic increase.
Grammar: Used informally with comparatives or change verbs: exponentially better, exponentially more difficult.
Patterns
- exponentially more something
- exponentially better
Her cooking has improved exponentially since she took the class.
The traffic got exponentially worse after the bridge closed.
Our workload has grown exponentially since the new client signed.
Common combinations
- grow exponentially
- The online community grew exponentially in its first year.
- increase exponentially
- Costs increase exponentially as the project gets bigger.
- multiply exponentially
- Rabbits can multiply exponentially if there are no predators.
- exponentially more
- The new model is exponentially more powerful than the old one.
- decline exponentially
- The medicine's strength declines exponentially after opening.
Synonyms and how they differ
- geometrically
- 'Geometrically' is the mathematical term for growth by a constant ratio and is used in the same sense, but it sounds more technical and less common.
- rapidly
- 'Rapidly' only says something is fast and does not suggest the speed itself keeps increasing.
- dramatically
- 'Dramatically' stresses how striking the change is, with no hint of a mathematical pattern.
- massively
- 'Massively' is about large size rather than a speeding-up pattern of growth.
Opposites
Word family
- exponent noun
- a small raised number showing how many times to multiply; also a person who promotes an idea
- exponential adjective
- increasing or decreasing at a rate proportional to its current size
- exponentiation noun
- the mathematical operation of raising a number to a power
Commonly confused: exponentially or proponent?
exponentially vs proponent
A 'proponent' is someone who supports an idea; it sounds like 'exponent', which in math is a power number, though 'exponent' can also mean an advocate.
Practice
Because each infected person passed the virus to three others, cases grew ___ in the first weeks.
Choose one answer.
Tripling at each step is growth that speeds up, which is 'exponentially'. 'Linearly' and 'steadily' describe constant addition, and 'gradually' suggests slowness, so none of them fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exponentially”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.