correlation coefficient

American  

noun

Statistics.

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

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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

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Etymology

Origin of correlation coefficient

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Based on all rolling 12-month periods since 2013, the correlation coefficient between these two assets is minus 27%.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 23, 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

Remember, all the correlation coefficient tells us is whether or not the data are linearly related.

From Textbooks • Nov. 29, 2017

Hence in comparing the growth of the huge sequoias with the rainfall we should expect a correlation coefficient high enough to be convincing, but decidedly below 1.00.

From Climatic Changes Their Nature and Causes by Huntington, Ellsworth