trajectory

Definitions

tra- (across, a contracted form of trans-) + ject (throw) + -ory (relating to) = 'relating to throwing across.' A trajectory is the path traced by something thrown through space.

Why It Means This

Trajectory started in artillery — the arc a cannonball traces after being fired (thrown across). It then moved to astronomy (orbital trajectories) and physics (the trajectory of a particle). The metaphorical leap is natural: a career trajectory is the arc your professional life traces over time. An upward trajectory means things are rising; a downward trajectory means decline. The word always implies motion along a path, not a single point.

Common Collocations

• 1.career trajectory职业轨迹
• 2.flight trajectory飞行轨迹
• 3.upward trajectory上升趋势
• 4.trajectory of growth增长轨迹
• 5.on a trajectory在……轨道上

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Scientists calculated the trajectory of the rocket before launch.

• 2.

  Her career trajectory shifted dramatically after she moved abroad.

• 3.

  The company is on an upward trajectory after years of losses.

Easily Confused

trajectory vs path — Trajectory implies an arc shaped by forces (gravity, momentum, circumstances), suggesting the movement was 'launched' and follows physical or metaphorical laws. Path is neutral and flat — just the route taken, without implying momentum or forces acting on it.