quantitative

[ kwon-ti-tey-tiv ]

adjective

1. that is or may be estimated by quantity.
2. of or relating to the describing or measuring of quantity.
3. of or relating to a metrical system, as that of classical verse, based on the alternation of long and short, rather than accented and unaccented, syllables.
4. of or relating to the length of a spoken vowel or consonant.

quantitative

/ ˈkwɒntɪtətɪv; -ˌteɪ- /

adjective

1. involving or relating to considerations of amount or size Compare qualitative
2. capable of being measured
3. prosody denoting or relating to a metrical system, such as that in Latin and Greek verse, that is based on the relative length rather than stress of syllables

Derived Forms

• ˈquantitatively, adverb

Other Words From

• quan·ti·ta·tive·ly quan·ti·tive·ly adverb
• quan·ti·ta·tive·ness quan·ti·tive·ness noun
• non·quan·ti·ta·tive adjective
• non·quan·ti·ta·tive·ness noun
• un·quan·ti·ta·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quantitative¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Medieval Latin quantitātīvus, equivalent to Latin quantitāt- (stem of quantitās “amount”) + -īvus adjective suffix; quantity, -ive

Example Sentences

But Harris, a “quantitative thinker” who had delved into the numbers, was characteristically unmoved, the advisor said.

From Los Angeles Times

But Prof Larner said the university's strategy was about "qualitative change, not just quantitative change" which would involve developing new sources of income and different ways of delivering courses.

From BBC

“We don't have a quantitative, macroeconomic framework to study mental illness,” Abramson told Salon.

From Salon

According to Saggau, "we're showing that Citi is complicit in environmental racism through both quantitative analysis as well as community stories, to offer examples of the real health and climate impacts of city's financing."

From Salon

Miles Coleman, the associate editor at Sabato’s Crystal Ball, described the process of creating ratings in an interview, and in some ways the decisions that quantitative and qualitative handicappers make are comparable.

From Salon

Related Words

• extensive
• indiscriminate
• large-scale
• sweeping