confidence interval

noun

: a group of continuous or discrete adjacent values that is used to estimate a statistical parameter (such as a mean or variance) and that tends to include the true value of the parameter a predetermined proportion of the time if the process of finding the group of values is repeated a number of times

Examples of confidence interval in a Sentence

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The set of dotted red lines represents a 95 percent confidence interval, meaning that the UN believes there’s a 95 percent chance that world population will fall between 9 billion and 11.4 billion in 2100. Dylan Scott, Vox, 5 Feb. 2025 The target response rate is 25%, and at this target, the lower bound of the 95% confidence interval will exceed a 15% response rate. Joe Cornell, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 The margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence interval is ± 3.46 percentage points. Marc Caputo, Axios, 23 Jan. 2025 The confidence interval, similar to margin of error, for the full sample was 3 points, for Democrats was 4.6 points and for Republicans was 5.3 points. Jared Gans, The Hill, 23 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for confidence interval

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of confidence interval was in 1934

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Cite this Entry

“Confidence interval.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confidence%20interval. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

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