significance level

noun

1. (in the statistical test of a hypothesis) the maximum probability of a Type I error for all distributions consistent with the null hypothesis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of significance level¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

A lower α, or significance level, would require much bigger sample sizes, making many studies impossible.

From Science Magazine

Asterisks denote the Bonferroni-adjusted significance level from a two-sided t-test of the difference between the gDNA and cDNA alternate allele proportions: ·P < 0.05, *P < 0.01, **P < 0.001.

From Nature

Asterisks denote the Bonferroni-adjusted significance level from a two-sided t-test of the difference between the gDNA and cDNA alternate allele proportions: ·P < 0.05, *P < 0.01, **P < 0.001.

From Nature

A two-sample t-test was performed to a significance level of P < 0.05.

From Nature

“Within testing years, the enrollment drop rate observed at Success Academy is greater than the enrollment drop rates at next door public schools 70% of the time. Furthermore, in 61% of these cases, this difference is so large that we can reject the hypothesis that it occurred due to random variation in attrition rates, at the 5% significance level.”

From The Guardian