percentile

noun

per·​cen·​tile pər-ˈsen-ˌtī(-ə)l How to pronounce percentile (audio)
: a value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it
a score in the 95th percentile

Examples of percentile in a Sentence

His height and weight are in the 80th percentile for boys his age.
Recent Examples on the Web
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For instance, a male agent up to age 29 will score in the top percentile for running the 1.5-mile event in 8:22, while a 50-year-old agent will be in the top 1% with a 9:31 time, according to the document. — Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 1 Mar. 2025 In a recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dataset, in the fifth to 95th weight percentiles, nonpregnant females aged 20 and older weighed between 110 and 263 pounds, and males in the same age range weighed between 136 and 287 pounds. — Agustín Fuentes, Scientific American, 25 Feb. 2025 This gap has mostly been driven by lower scores among students in the bottom 10th percentile students, while scores of those in the top 10th percentile have remained relatively unchanged. — Carson Swick, Baltimore Sun, 25 Feb. 2025 With 100th percentile speed and an ability to elevate the baseball, Fitzgerald has as good a chance as anyone on the Giants’ roster to break both streaks. — Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for percentile

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of percentile was in 1885

Rhymes for percentile

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Browse Nearby Words

percentile
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Cite this Entry

“Percentile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/percentile. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

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Medical Definition

percentile

noun
per·​cen·​tile pər-ˈsen-ˌtīl How to pronounce percentile (audio)
: a value on a scale of one hundred that indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it
a percentile score of 95 is a score equal to or better than 95 percent of the scores

More from Merriam-Webster on percentile

Nglish: Translation of percentile for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about percentile

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