butterfly effect
nounDefinition of butterfly effect
: a property of chaotic systems (such as the atmosphere) by which small changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variation in the future state of the system
Examples of butterfly effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The information is inherently uncertain, because of chaos, also known as the butterfly effect. — Adam Sobel, New York Times, "A Storm Expert’s View: Dorian’s Damage Remains Impossible to Predict," 1 Sep. 2019 This sensitivity to initial conditions, later popularized as the butterfly effect, made predicting the far future a fool’s errand. — Joshua Sokol, WIRED, "These Hidden Women Helped Invent Chaos Theory," 26 May 2019 This sensitivity to initial conditions, later popularized as the butterfly effect, made predicting the far future a fool’s errand. — Wired, "These Hidden Women Helped Invent Chaos Theory," 26 May 2019 This sensitivity to initial conditions, later popularized as the butterfly effect, made predicting the far future a fool’s errand. — Joshua Sokol, WIRED, "These Hidden Women Helped Invent Chaos Theory," 26 May 2019 This sensitivity to initial conditions, later popularized as the butterfly effect, made predicting the far future a fool’s errand. — Quanta Magazine, "The Hidden Heroines of Chaos," 20 May 2019 The butterfly effect is a metaphor for the concept that small, seemingly insignificant events — like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings — can produce tremendous and unanticipated consequences. — Marie Claire, "The Butterfly Effect: Qatar," 4 June 2010 This sensitivity to initial conditions, later popularized as the butterfly effect, made predicting the far future a fool’s errand. — Quanta Magazine, "The Hidden Heroines of Chaos," 20 May 2019 Fans all over social media have made the connection between the butterfly effect and Stormi’s name, pointing out chaos theory in the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings can create a storm somewhere far away. — Jen Juneau, PEOPLE.com, "From True to Stormi, Chicago, Saint and Reign: Decoding the Names of All the KarJenner Kids," 17 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'butterfly effect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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