random error

noun

, Statistics.

1. an error that has a random distribution and can be attributed to chance.

Word History and Origins

Origin of random error¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Even the new delta variant discovered to be sweeping through the country was not some terrible random error.

From MIT Technology Review

The more copies it makes, the greater the likelihood that random errors, or mutations, will crop up.

From MIT Technology Review

When used with various methods of plotting and dissecting the measurements, data points representing Cepheids and other special stars fall neatly along straight lines, with very little of the “scatter” that would indicate random error.

From Quanta Magazine

How The Post describes differences in the averagePoll averages can reduce random error that occurs in every survey, but they are far from precise instruments.

From Washington Post