percentile

[per-sen-tahyl, -til] /pərˈsɛn taɪl, -tɪl/

noun

one of the values of a variable that divides the distribution of the variable into 100 groups having equal frequencies:

Ninety percent of the values lie at or below the ninetieth percentile, ten percent above it.

adjective

of or pertaining to a percentile or a division of a distribution by percentiles.

Origin

1880-85; percent + -ile

Can be confused

percent, percentage, percentile (see usage note at percent)

Examples from the web for percentile

Now consider the top percentile that makes an outsized share of their income through the capital gains tax.
percentile is determined by an individual's standing within a comparison group.
But, the scores shift from round to round, so focus on the percentile.
District percentile rankings varied by demographic groups.
People in the top fifth percentile of drinkers had the highest odds for anxiety.

British Dictionary definitions for percentile

percentile

/pəˈsɛntaɪl/

noun

one of 99 actual or notional values of a variable dividing its distribution into 100 groups with equal frequencies; the 90th percentile is the value of a variable such that 90% of the relevant population is below that value Also called centile

Word Origin and History for percentile

1885, coined by English scientist Francis Galton (1822-1911) from percent + -ile.

percentile in Science

percentile

(pər-sěn'tīl')
Any of the 100 equal parts into which the range of the values of a set of data can be divided in order to show the distribution of those values. The percentile of a given value is determined by the percentage of the values that are smaller than that value. For example, a test score that is higher than 95 percent of the other scores is in the 95th percentile.