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

Both Asian and white students of that class had median MCAT scores in the 100th percentile. — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 10 July 2026

Gray is in the 81st MLB percentile in walk percentage, 84th in Pitching Run Value and 93rd in Fastball Run Value. — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 9 July 2026

Prices for one-standard-deviation out-of-the-money calls on the Nasdaq – contracts with a 16% chance of expiring in-the-money – are currently in the 58th percentile, down from the 99th percentile in May, according to Nations Indexes' CallDex index. — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 2 July 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

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