percentile

[ per-sen-tahyl, -til ]

noun

1. one of the values of a variable that divides the distribution of the variable into 100 groups having equal frequencies:

   Ninety percent of the values lie at or below the ninetieth percentile, ten percent above it.

adjective

1. of or relating to a percentile or a division of a distribution by percentiles.

percentile

/ pəˈsɛntaɪl /

noun

1. one of 99 actual or notional values of a variable dividing its distribution into 100 groups with equal frequencies; the 90th percentile is the value of a variable such that 90% of the relevant population is below that value Also calledcentile

percentile

/ pər-sĕn′tīl′ /

1. Any of the 100 equal parts into which the range of the values of a set of data can be divided in order to show the distribution of those values. The percentile of a given value is determined by the percentage of the values that are smaller than that value. For example, a test score that is higher than 95 percent of the other scores is in the 95th percentile.

Word History and Origins

Origin of percentile¹

First recorded in 1880–85; percent + -ile

Example Sentences

My scores improved, nudging me near the top 25th percentile.

From MIT Technology Review

The Buckeyes went FIB on roughly 25% of plays which ranks in the 93rd percentile on a game level.

From FiveThirtyEight

The NWEA findings show that, compared to last year, students scored an average of 5 to 10 percentile points lower in math, with students in grades three, four and five experiencing the largest drops.

From Fortune

Only 27 of them traveled 95 mph or faster, putting him in just the second percentile of hard-hit percentage.

From Washington Post

For instance, boys in the 10th percentile saw a statistically significant decline of six points on the 500-point exam.

From Washington Post

These differentials, he writes “places the average black at roughly the 16th percentile of the white IQ distribution.”

From The Daily Beast

The new measure is a relative measure, pegged to (approximately) how much the 33rd percentile is spending on various things.

From The Daily Beast

Recall figure 2.1 at the beginning of the book, showing stagnant incomes for people below the 50th income percentile.

From The Daily Beast

Really well, actually—in the 97th percentile on reading comprehension and the 87th in math.

From The Daily Beast

A state in the 90th percentile (with the least amount of complaints filed) was given 20 points.

From The Daily Beast

In other words, the lengths of the individual vectors denote the percentile rle that each night played in the total density.

From Project Gutenberg

In height he gained from the 25 percentile to the 40 percentile.

From Project Gutenberg