statistical
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nonstatistical adjective
- nonstatistically adverb
- prestatistical adjective
- statistically adverb
- unstatistical adjective
- unstatistically adverb
Etymology
Origin of statistical
First recorded in 1590–1600; statistic(s) + -al 1
Explanation
If you can say it with numbers, then it is probably statistical. Statistical information (or "stats") can tell the chance of rain tomorrow or what percentage or your allowance gets spent on texting. Statistics is the science of gathering numerical information in large amounts and using it to make broad deductions — such as the one that famously declared the average British family in the 1980s had 2.4 children. Of course, that was nonsense, and the statisticians later amended it — to 1.6. Statistical answers, as the previous example shows, often need to be taken with a pinch of salt.
Vocabulary lists containing statistical
Nothing But the Truth
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
How It Went Down
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
A new study finds that about one-third of long-standing "linguistic universals" are backed by strong statistical evidence when tested using modern evolutionary methods.
From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026
Taken together, the data provide statistical evidence of a structural shift in which the economy’s supply-demand balance remains resilient while inflationary pressures continue to build in the background, said Daiwa Securities economist Kenji Yamamoto.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
“Jamie and I would talk every day after he brought this role for me. I didn’t want to be measured on VAR,” which stands for “value at risk,” a statistical measure that quantifies financial risk.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
However, the predetermined statistical criterion was not met in the primary endpoint.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026
Such statistical alignments must happen by chance every now and then.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
