percentile

noun

per·​cen·​tile pər-ˈsen-ˌtī(-ə)l 

: a value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it

a score in the 95th percentile

Examples of percentile in a Sentence

His height and weight are in the 80th percentile for boys his age.

Recent Examples on the Web

Devers’ sprint speed is in the 22nd percentile among all major leaguers. — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

Both are in the top 15 percentile in defensive range, according to Statcast, and that’s worth something. — John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2026

Devers is in the 22nd percentile in sprint speed, and rookie Jonah Cox is in the 89th percentile. — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 22 June 2026

Thrived as ballhandler in pick-and-rolls (94th percentile in Synergy) and repeatedly beat man defenses in the halfcourt (90th). — ABC News, 23 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for percentile

• campanile
• chamomile
• domicil
• domicile
• mercantile
• neuropil
• peristyle
• reconcile
• thermopile
• aisle
• bile
• chyle

Medical Definition

percentile

noun

per·​cen·​tile pər-ˈsen-ˌtīl 

: a value on a scale of one hundred that indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it

a percentile score of 95 is a score equal to or better than 95 percent of the scores