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curve

curve

209 2.3
A smooth, rounded shape or line that often shows change
  • noun
  • /kɜrv/
translation icon : curva
  • Results of the PMP are also compared to growth curves for pathogens under ideal growing conditions.
  • learning curve
  • growth curve
  • bell curve

The inversion of the yield curve suggests yes.

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Examples

  • Children with language impairments find themselves behind the curve when it comes to overall literacy development.

    Academic text (2013)
  • If the yield curve goes down, what does that mean?

  • So our first curve here looks like this.

  • I might take this curve here a little too fast.

  • All right, now let's take a curve that just goes around like that.

  • If you look at the curve of the marathon records, it would take another 30, 40 years.

  • You can quite clearly see in this curve a gap appearing.

  • The horizontal axis is the crude oil price, and the curve represents a $60 alternative fuel cost.

    Academic text (2008)
  • She is graded on an entirely different curve than him.

  • The artist captured the curve of the mountain in her painting beautifully.

Synonyms

bend
vscurve
77 1.2

A curved part of a road, river, pipe, or body

usually means a smooth rounded line or shape not necessarily angled
arc
vscurve
73 3.2

Part of a circle's edge or any curved line like a rainbow

is broader covering smooth rounded shapes beyond circular segments
curved shape
vscurve
1 1.9

A form that bends smoothly without sharp angles, like a rainbow

can also mean a line on a graph showing change over time
plot line
vscurve
  • Specialized
3.5

The line on a graph that shows how a number changes over time

is also used for smooth rounded shapes in physical space

Antonyms

49 1.0

A line that does not curve and keeps the same direction

Idioms

Having more knowledge or skill than most others in a field

to throw a curve
  • Informal
1 8.4

To surprise or confuse someone by doing something they did not expect

Ahead of most others in new ideas or tools

Compounds

learning curve
  • Specialized
14 3.9

How quickly someone learns a new task over time

bell curve
  • Specialized
7 4.6

A curved line on a graph showing most results near the average and fewer at the ends

curve ball
  • Specialized
3 5.0

A baseball throw with spin that curves as it reaches the batter

demand curve
  • Specialized
2 5.1

A line on a graph that shows how price affects how much people buy

supply curve
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A graph that shows how much producers will sell at different prices

1 4.8

A bend in the road that hides the view ahead

exponential curve
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A curve on a graph that rises or falls very quickly

Laffer curve
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A graph showing how tax rates change the money the government gets, rising then falling when taxes get too high

bell-shaped curve
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A curve shaped like a bell that shows most values near the average

characteristic curve
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A graph that shows how one device property changes as another thing changes, like voltage or temperature

learning curve
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A graph showing how a computer model gets better with more training data

sine curve
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A smooth wavy graph that repeats regularly, for example y = sin x

closed curve
  • Specialized
6.5

A curve with no endpoints that comes back to its starting point, like a circle

cosine curve
  • Specialized
7.4

A smooth repeating wave line that follows the equation y = a cos x

cotangent curve
  • Specialized
9.2

A graph showing the cotangent function, repeating every pi and with vertical lines it never reaches

7.3

A graph that shows how loud a speaker or amplifier is at different frequencies

Gaussian curve
  • Specialized
7.2

A bell-shaped curve the same on both sides that shows how values are near the average

indifference curve
  • Specialized
8.1

A line on a graph showing combinations of goods a buyer likes the same

Jordan curve
  • Specialized
9.9

A closed loop on a flat surface, like a circle, that does not cross itself

normal curve
  • Specialized
4.6

A bell-shaped line that shows most numbers near the middle and fewer far from it

regression curve
  • Specialized
6.4

A smooth line or curve fitted to data points to show how two things are related

pedal curve
  • Specialized
9.9

A curve formed by points where perpendiculars from a fixed point meet a curve's tangents

tangent curve
  • Specialized
8.1

A graph showing how tan x values change as the angle x changes

simple closed curve
  • Specialized
7.9

A curved line on a flat surface that makes a closed loop without crossing itself, like a circle

How Curved

to spiral
39 4.0
loop
67 2.5
curve
209 2.3
arc
73 3.2
bend
77 1.2

Surface Forms

curve singular
curves plural

Etymology

Curve comes from an old Latin root curvus meaning 'bent', the same root you find in curvy. So a curve is a smooth, bent line or shape, like the line on a graph that shows how things change.