statistical significance

Cultural  

1. In statistics, a number that expresses the probability that the result of a given experiment or study could have occurred purely by chance. This number can be a margin of error (“The results of this public opinion poll are accurate to five percent”), or it can indicate a confidence level (“If this experiment were repeated, there is a probability of ninety-five percent that our conclusions would be substantiated”).

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Example Sentences

The statistical significance of this result is weak, since there have only been nine midterm years since 1990.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

But just a few weeks later the test’s manufacturer, Grail, announced disappointing study results: the test didn’t reach statistical significance in later-stage cancers—stages 3 and 4.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

"Our data is based on 300 galaxies. The statistical significance is roughly one-in-a-trillion chance of being a fluke. So, I strongly feel that already our research is very, very significant."

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025

The team's computational models reached a strong enough level of statistical significance to classify GJ 251 c as an exoplanet candidate, reinforcing the need for direct imaging with TMT to verify its properties.

From Science Daily • Nov. 23, 2025

Usually we encounter the opposite situation: the result is of potential practical significance but of almost no statistical significance.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos