qualitative
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nonqualitative adjective
- qualitatively adverb
Etymology
Origin of qualitative
First recorded in 1600–10; from Late Latin quālitātīvus, equivalent to quālitāt- (stem of quālitās ) quality + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Anything that's qualitative has to do with the characteristics or features of something, rather than its quantity. If you prefer A Wrinkle in Time to another book with the same number of pages, that's a qualitative preference. Qualitative shows up in scientific writing to clarify that the quality of something is being assessed, not its size or quantity. Scientists often contrast qualitative analysis or data with quantitative facts, information that can actually be measured. Qualitative properties of your house include its coziness and its cheerful color scheme. Among its quantitative aspects are its monetary value and its precise square footage.
Vocabulary lists containing qualitative
The Scientific Method
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Word Generation Science - Scientific Thinking
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The ACT Science Test: The Scientific Method
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"This qualitative technique, invented and implemented at ISTA, is much like angiography in living tissues -- except that we are examining the micro-structure of a crystal," says Alpichshev.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026
And they report this information to executive management and the board in quantitative and qualitative ways, so that leadership can oversee the details and the firm’s overall direction for AI.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
The result is a statistical rise in participation that masks a qualitative divide: opportunity at the top, compulsion at the bottom.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
This time, however, Citi analysts say, as Iranian missiles have struck population centers and civilian infrastructure, “this qualitative escalation could weigh on leisure and corporate travel demand alike.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026
The great difference between us and the other animals may be the qualitative difference made by speech.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
