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

Low-achieving students who scored in the 1st to 25th percentile on those tests saw a cumulative net VAE of $23,766. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026

Both Asian and white students of that class had median MCAT scores in the 100th percentile. —Dave Collins, Fortune, 16 May 2026

Chapman’s bat speed also continues to rank in the 92nd percentile, which would suggest his issues are entirely mechanical and, in theory, fixable. —Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 15 May 2026

His outs above average range, also at 3, is in the 94th percentile. —Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 15 May 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