Type II error

American  

noun

1. the error made in the statistical testing of a hypothesis by accepting the null hypothesis when it is actually false.

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type II error British  

noun

1. statistics the error of not rejecting the null hypothesis when it is false. The probability of avoiding such an error is the power of the test and is a function of the alternative hypothesis

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Example Sentences

A potential breakthrough on Duchenne is a reminder that a Type II error—rejecting a drug that should have been approved—carries risks beyond one drug.

From The Wall Street Journal

A Type I error occurs when a true hypothesis is rejected, and a Type II error occurs when a false hypothesis is accepted.

From Literature

Thus, if a large number of Corvettes from a car show drove through the region and we therefore accepted the false assumption that at least 15 percent of the cars in the region were Corvettes, we would be making a Type II error.

From Literature

The equal and opposite misstep, a Type II error, involves attributing a true relationship to chance.

From Slate

In the 20th century it was believed that a Type I error was worse than a Type II error.

From Washington Post