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

His breaking pitches are also above average, ranking in the 69th percentile in run value. —Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 18 Jan. 2026

In fact, the average NAEP score in 12th grade math for students in the 90th percentile hasn’t budged over the past decade—and has even risen a few points since 2005. —Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026

Meanwhile, second-year riser Cam Spencer is in the 98 percentile for points per shot at shooting guard, according to Cleaning the Glass. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026

That ranked in the 96th percentile of all pitchers. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for percentile

• campanile
• chrysotile
• domicil
• domicile
• mercantile
• neuropil
• nonpareil
• peristyle
• reconcile
• thermopile
• aisle
• bile

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