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critical value

American  
[krit-i-kuhl val-yoo] / ˈkrɪt ɪ kəl ˈvæl ju /

noun

Statistics.
  1. the value of the random variable at the boundary between the acceptance region and the rejection region in the testing of a hypothesis.

    Each row in the table contains critical values for one of the t distributions.


Etymology

Origin of critical value

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:

Evercore ISI analyst Cory Kasimov wrote in a research note this week that the intismeran autogene mRNA vaccine is “lead oncology asset and a critical value driver beyond respiratory vaccines.”

From Barron's Jan. 22, 2026

If these exceed a critical value, the effect collapses.

From Science Daily Jan. 31, 2024

Somewhere in between is a critical value, called the percolation threshold, at which the fluid begins to flow all the way across the network.

From Scientific American Sep. 25, 2023

We see that the test statistic is in the tail, decidedly greater than the critical value of 2.575.

From Textbooks Nov. 29, 2017

If the density is less than a certain critical value, determined by the rate of expansion, the gravitational attraction will be too weak to halt the expansion.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

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