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

Current short interest is in the 65th percentile or more compared to the past two years. —Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026

Groundwater levels have been declining in most of the Biscayne Aquifer monitoring stations and in the lower 10th percentile of historic levels. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026

His ground ball rate was in the 67th percentile. —Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026

Lekkerimäki’s average shot speed this season has been clocked at 68 miles per hour (league average for a forward is 53 miles per hour), which ranks in the 99th percentile of NHLers. —Harman Dayal, New York Times, 2 Feb. 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