percentile

[per-sen-tahyl, -til]

noun

1. one of the values of a variable that divides the distribution of the variable into 100 groups having equal frequencies.

   Ninety percent of the values lie at or below the ninetieth percentile, ten percent above it.

adjective

1. of or relating to a percentile or a division of a distribution by percentiles.

percentile

/ pəˈsɛntaɪl /

noun

1. Also called: centile. one of 99 actual or notional values of a variable dividing its distribution into 100 groups with equal frequencies; the 90th percentile is the value of a variable such that 90% of the relevant population is below that value

percentile

1. Any of the 100 equal parts into which the range of the values of a set of data can be divided in order to show the distribution of those values. The percentile of a given value is determined by the percentage of the values that are smaller than that value. For example, a test score that is higher than 95 percent of the other scores is in the 95th percentile.

Word History and Origins

Origin of percentile¹

First recorded in 1880–85; percent + -ile

Example Sentences

Perhaps the most confounding metric: Betts is in the 99th percentile in “squared-up” rate, a metric that effectively determines when a ball is hit off the sweet spot of the bat.

From Los Angeles Times

His high percentile for shots-on-target percentage also highlights not just an eye for goal but efficiency in making goalkeepers work.

From BBC

After averaging only 69 mph last year, which ranked in the 13th percentile among MLB hitters according to the league’s Statcast system, it dropped to almost 67 mph during the opening month of this season.

From Los Angeles Times

We said get to the 66th percentile on these four measures, and there’s no dollars that you have to pay.

From Los Angeles Times

Our school in Brownsville, Texas, near the Mexican border, is attended by many first-generation Americans who came to us in the 31st percentile.

From Salon