confidence interval

[ kon-fi-duhns in-ter-vuhl ]

noun

, Statistics.

1. a range of values above and below a given statistic, with a specified probability that the true value falls within that range: the span of the interval is equal to twice the margin of error: Compare interval estimation.

   An overview of 20 studies revealed that calcium supplements reduced the risk of total fracture, showing a relative risk of 0.89 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.81 to 0.96.

confidence interval

noun

1. statistics an interval of values bounded by confidence limits within which the true value of a population parameter is stated to lie with a specified probability

Word History and Origins

Origin of confidence interval¹

First recorded in 1930–35