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Bayesian

American  
[bay-zee-uhn, -zhuhn] / ˈbeɪ zi ən, -ʒən /

adjective

Statistics.
  1. of or relating to statistical methods that regard parameters of a population as random variables having known probability distributions.


Bayesian British  
/ ˈbeɪzɪən /

adjective

  1. (of a theory) presupposing known a priori probabilities which may be subjectively assessed and which can be revised in the light of experience in accordance with Bayes' theorem. A hypothesis is thus confirmed by an experimental observation which is likely given the hypothesis and unlikely without it Compare maximum likelihood

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Bayesian

1960–65; Thomas Bayes (1702–61), English mathematician + -ian


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.

See Examples For:

His research spans Bayesian statistics and drug safety.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

"They came up with a Bayesian scheme -- published in 2025 -- to intercalibrate these two most important geochronometers that we have, which have not been giving us consistent results over the years," Renne said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

To address this, the researchers used Bayesian spatio-phylogenetic analyses, which account for both shared ancestry and geographic influence.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 5, 2026

For some, the Bayesian framework is essentially a working definition of rationality or common sense: As one learns more, one’s views change—whether about the weather or the deadliness of a disease like Covid-19.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

It's part of something called Bayesian analysis and it's been around for centuries now.

From Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

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