skewness

[ skyoo-nis ]

noun

, Statistics.

1. asymmetry in a frequency distribution.
2. a measure of such asymmetry.

ˈskewness

/ ˈskjuːnɪs /

noun

1. the quality or condition of being skew
2. statistics a measure of the symmetry of a distribution around its mean, esp the statistic B1 = m3/ ( m2 ) 3/2, where m2 and m3 are respectively the second and third moments of the distribution around the mean. In a normal distribution, B1 = 0 See kurtosis

Word History and Origins

Origin of skewness¹

First recorded in 1890–95; skew + -ness

Example Sentences

"Researching and better understanding them is important if we want to be able to predict possible future climate tipping points caused by humans. While the slowdown seen in the first type of tipping point leads to a decrease in variability, autocorrelation, and skewness, the flickering in the second type leads to the exact opposite -- and, in some cases, to the impending tipping point not being recognized."

From Science Daily

They don’t want to, but they understand that if you’re investing in a portfolio of these potential unicorns, positive skewness, or high upside, also means that nine bets out of 10, or some similar large percentage, are going to end up at zero.

From Scientific American

It relates to something called “skewness.”

From Scientific American

Positive skewness is upside potential.

From Scientific American

And negative skewness is the opposite: it’s a small chance of something terrible happening such as a bank run.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• imbalance
• inequality