percentile

American  

[per-sen-tahyl, -til] / pərˈsɛn taɪl, -tɪl /

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.

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adjective

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

percentile British  

/ 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

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percentile Scientific  

/ pər-sĕn′tīl′ /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of percentile

First recorded in 1880–85; percent + -ile

Compare meaning

How does percentile compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• quantile vs. percentile

Explanation

A percentile is a way of comparing or ranking a set of data, usually people's test scores. Typically, the lowest reported percentile is the 1st, and the highest is the 99th. To calculate a percentile, all the values (e.g., test scores) are ordered from lowest to highest, divided into groups, and compared on a 100-point scale. The 50th percentile represents the median score; half the scores are lower, and half the scores are higher. If you rank in the 85th percentile, that means you scored equal to or better than 85 percent of the test takers. Good for you! It does not mean, however, that you got 85 percent of the questions correct. A percentile is a comparative ranking only, so it depends on how other people scored on the test, too.

Example Sentences

The faculty also voted to replace GPA with percentile rank as an internal metric for prizes and honors such as cum laude.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

That’s a streak in the 97th percentile since 2000.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

Now master’s-degree holders under 35 are at the 77th percentile of unemployment, where the 50th percentile is normal, according to the Burning Glass analysis.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

In addition, Xu found that put skew “has fallen to the 15th percentile low over the past year with hedgers largely throwing in the towel.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

Overall they were in the ninety-sixth percentile financially.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng