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

The lawmakers said Committed Gateway Pricing mechanism would set rates at the 70th percentile of the railroads’ own comparable traffic rates, rather than at a median or below-average benchmark. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026

Both of those marks lead the Marlins and would be in the top-10 percentile of baseball’s qualified hitters. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026

Hill also ranked in the 99th percentile of whiff rate, as well as the 98th percentile of in-zone contact rate. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026

To find the most luxurious neighborhoods, Redfin analyzed the ones in the 65th percentile of these ratings. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 7 Aug. 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