factor analysis
noun
: the analytical process of transforming statistical data (such as measurements) into linear combinations of usually independent variables
factor analytic
adjective
Examples of factor analysis in a Sentence
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The developer of a statistical method called factor analysis, Charles Spearman, concluded in 1904 that a general factor of intelligence, called a g factor, must underlie the concordance of measurements for varying human cognitive skills.
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Eka Roivainen, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2023
Most personality tests are designed by psychologists to be user-friendly and offer positive insight, but the Big Five traits were derived by applying factor analysis to human observations.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022
Perhaps my brain uses factor analysis to distill thousands of attributes—height, fashion sense, tone of voice—into a single point in an abstract space.
—James Somers, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2021
The regulations replaced a complex factor analysis that determined whether an entity could be taxed as a partnership.
—Peter J Reilly, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2021
In an interview Thursday morning, Bernhardt said the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service used the five-factor analysis required by law to delist a species, and concluded the wolf is no longer endangered or threatened.
—Jennifer Bjorhus, Star Tribune, 29 Oct. 2020
Through factor analysis of those five sub-scores, computing a factor score on overall effectiveness for each firm, which, in turn, was also transformed into a T-Score.
—WSJ, 5 Dec. 2017
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Eka Roivainen, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2023
Most personality tests are designed by psychologists to be user-friendly and offer positive insight, but the Big Five traits were derived by applying factor analysis to human observations.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022
Perhaps my brain uses factor analysis to distill thousands of attributes—height, fashion sense, tone of voice—into a single point in an abstract space.
—James Somers, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2021
The regulations replaced a complex factor analysis that determined whether an entity could be taxed as a partnership.
—Peter J Reilly, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2021
In an interview Thursday morning, Bernhardt said the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service used the five-factor analysis required by law to delist a species, and concluded the wolf is no longer endangered or threatened.
—Jennifer Bjorhus, Star Tribune, 29 Oct. 2020
Through factor analysis of those five sub-scores, computing a factor score on overall effectiveness for each firm, which, in turn, was also transformed into a T-Score.
—WSJ, 5 Dec. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Factor analysis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factor%20analysis. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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