qualitative
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of qualitative
First recorded in 1600–10; from Late Latin quālitātīvus, equivalent to quālitāt- (stem of quālitās ) quality + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Anything that's qualitative has to do with the characteristics or features of something, rather than its quantity. If you prefer A Wrinkle in Time to another book with the same number of pages, that's a qualitative preference. Qualitative shows up in scientific writing to clarify that the quality of something is being assessed, not its size or quantity. Scientists often contrast qualitative analysis or data with quantitative facts, information that can actually be measured. Qualitative properties of your house include its coziness and its cheerful color scheme. Among its quantitative aspects are its monetary value and its precise square footage.
Vocabulary lists containing qualitative
The Scientific Method
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Word Generation Science - Scientific Thinking
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The ACT Science Test: The Scientific Method
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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.
He pointed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s comments that the company is “in the process of scaling much larger and more advanced models,” which Mahaney said provide “only qualitative color.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
“We appreciate announcements made resonating well across key qualitative considerations,” they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Naratis aims to take qualitative research - the slowest, most expensive form of polling - and rebuild it around AI.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
"This qualitative technique, invented and implemented at ISTA, is much like angiography in living tissues -- except that we are examining the micro-structure of a crystal," says Alpichshev.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 10, 2026
And when he's done I want to say: "There is a qualitative difference in the visual effect of the room."
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
