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

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

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.

From Barron's • Nov. 4, 2025

An absolutely fundamental concept, that of statistical significance, was first propounded by Ronald Fisher in 1925.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton