statistical significance

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”).

Example Sentences

The disappointing results didn’t come as a surprise to everyone on Wall Street, as Morgan Stanley analyst Thibault Boutherin turned bearish on Novo Nordisk’s stock in late September, saying he believed there was a 75% chance the trial would not reach statistical significance.

Read more on MarketWatch

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.

Read more on Science Daily

In almost all cases, there were no correlations that satisfied traditional standards of statistical significance.

Read more on MarketWatch

Statistical significance is not in itself a reason to bet on a pattern persisting.

Read more on MarketWatch

The move came after Sarepta said the results of a trial for two of its drugs targeting Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare muscle-wasting illness, hadn’t reached statistical significance.

Read more on Barron's