quintile

American  

[kwin-til, -tahyl] / ˈkwɪn tɪl, -taɪl /

noun

1. Statistics. a quantile for the special case of five equal proportions.

2. Astrology. a quintile aspect.

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adjective

1. Astrology. of or relating to the aspect of two heavenly bodies that are one fifth of the zodiac, or 72°, apart.

quintile British  

/ ˈkwɪntaɪl /

noun

1. an aspect of 72° between two heavenly bodies

2. a fifth part of a distribution

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Etymology

Origin of quintile

1600–10; < Latin quīnt ( us ) fifth + -ile (as in quartile )

Example Sentences

At the same time, uncertainty has sat in the highest quintile 43% of the time, more than double the average before October 2022, Paulsen wrote in an article on Substack External link.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

“In 2022 the cost of inflation for the lowest income quintile amounted to 12.28% of their current income, compared with 5.69% for the highest quintile,” the economists wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

The researchers found that, within each quintile of deprivation, exclusively breastfed infants used fewer healthcare services and incurred lower costs compared to infants fed any formula milk.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2024

The Census Bureau reports that in Bellevue, the top quintile of households has soared past the half-million mark for the first time.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 16, 2023

Similarly, the Income Dynamics data show that people from the lowest 5th quintile can migrate to the higher quintiles .

From Definition & Reality in the General Theory of Political Economy by Colignatus, Thomas