data science

noun

: the application of scientific analysis to large often unstructured sets of data

The shift from hypothesis testing to machine learning approaches—from pure statistics to data science—is a huge shift.

—Robert Kabacoff, quoted in The Wesleyan Argus (Wesleyan University)

… has assembled a data science team that mines the vast amount of information contained in the relationships and profiles of the social network's … users.

—Mike Swift

also : the branch of science that deals with the applications and techniques of data analysis compare information science

Examples of data science in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Schilling went on to study computer and data science, later completing an internship with CGI. — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026

Disney hired Karandeep Anaud as its first chief technology officer last month, while Ticketmaster hired its first senior vice president of data science and machine learning as the company embraced the technology. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Ted was accepted into a master’s program in data science at Columbia, but her own acceptance was at UC Berkeley. — Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

Among shippers, 68 percent identified supply chain planning and analytics as a major talent gap, while 57 percent cited technology integration and 53 percent AI and data science. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above