trajectory.

1. The path followed by a moving object.

2. The direction or sequence through which a life, trend, or process develops.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• ballistic trajectory
• orbital trajectory

On the page

The fragments followed sharply different trajectories.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Singular trajectory; plural trajectories. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation. Commonness: moderately common.