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correlation coefficient

American  

noun

Statistics.
  1. one of a number of measures of correlation, usually assuming values from +1 to −1.


correlation coefficient British  

noun

  1. statistics a statistic measuring the degree of correlation between two variables as by dividing their covariance by the square root of the product of their variances. The closer the correlation coefficient is to 1 or –1 the greater the correlation; if it is random, the coefficient is zero See also Pearson's correlation coefficient Spearman's rank-order coefficient

"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 correlation coefficient

First recorded in 1905–10

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:

The correlation coefficient was not significant at the 95% confidence level that statisticians often use when assessing whether a pattern is genuine.

From MarketWatch May 15, 2026

The correlation coefficient between the stock and bitcoin during that time was 0.80.

From MarketWatch Nov. 17, 2025

According to Kim, people often think first of Pearson's correlation coefficient when they hear the word agreement, since it is introduced early in statistics education and remains a fundamental tool.

From Science Daily Nov. 14, 2025

Conclusion: There is sufficient evidence to conclude that there is a significant linear relationship between X1 and X2 because the correlation coefficient is significantly different from zero.

From Textbooks Nov. 29, 2017

For instance, if we measured the relation between the number of berry pickers employed and the quantity of berries remaining unpicked, in a number of different fields we would get a negative correlation coefficient.

From The Social Direction of Evolution An Outline of the Science of Eugenics by Kellicott, William E.

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