butterfly effect
1
7.9
- noun
- /ˈbʌtərflaɪ ɪˈfɛkt/
- Specialized
:
efecto mariposa
- According to the butterfly effect theory, even a minor decision can create significant ripple effects in our lives.
- call this the butterfly effect
It's like an ongoing happiness butterfly effect.
- It's like an ongoing happiness butterfly effect.
- No, no, no minor things because it is those tiny little nudges one way or the other that, you know, have this butterfly effect.
- So to me that that's it more than anything in in physics, like, you know, the butterfly effect.
- I in Jon Ronson's book, The Butterfly Effect, he links the spread of hardcore pornography and kids consuming it to the fact that teen pregnancies went down.
Examples
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Weatherfolks call this the butterfly effect, meaning that because a weather system can be started or impacted by the gentle movement of a butterfly's wings up in Petaluma or Portland or wherever.
Fiction book (1995) -
The butterfly effect illustrates how a small action, like a butterfly flapping its wings, can lead to unexpected changes in the weather.
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Do you know what the butterfly effect is?
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Look, it's the butterfly effect, okay?
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In one sense, it is an example of the butterfly effect, except the nature involved is human.
Blog text (30) -
I strongly feel God is working through you and you are the start of a butterfly effect for many people.
Blog text (7) -
Just to explain, the butterfly effect theories state that even the smallest change can have a chaotic effect on something else.
Blog text (25) -
Weather has been known to be chaotic since Edward Lorenz discovered the 'butterfly effect' in the 1960s.
Blog text (29) -
It is sometimes referred to as the butterfly effect: that a butterfly stirring the air with its wings in Beijing will affect storm systems over New York in a fortnight's time.
Academic text (1991) -
Understanding the butterfly effect helps us realize that tiny events can trigger major consequences in complex systems.
Synonyms
14
6.8
A system that is hard to predict because small changes cause big effects
2
4.7
An indirect result of an event that causes other changes
How Widespread
- Specialized
1
7.9
9
4.0
- Specialized
1
4.1
17
4.7
59
4.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'butterfly' (a small insect) and 'effect' (a consequence) do cue a notion of a small thing producing a consequence, so learners could guess a causal relation from the words. However, the full, technical idea of sensitive dependence on initial conditions — tiny changes producing large, unpredictable outcomes in complex systems — is a metaphorical/scientific extension that typically requires topical or cultural knowledge beyond the literal words, making the expression only partially predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Butterfly effect comes from a simple image used by scientists: a tiny action, like a butterfly flapping its wings, could change the air and, over time, cause a big effect far away. That's why the phrase means 'a small change that leads to large and unpredictable results'.