critical value

American  

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

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.

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Etymology

Origin of critical value

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

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

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

Guth suggested that the universe might behave in a similar way: the temperature might drop below the critical value without the symmetry between the forces being broken.

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