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

Deutsche Bank’s composite investor positioning gauge is up to the 71 st percentile over the past 15 years, not a very high reading when indexes are at a record. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025

Finnegan ranks in only the 24th percentile in whiff rate and comes to Detroit averaging 7.4 K/9. —Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025

For decades, those who scored in the top percentiles received a Presidential Physical Fitness Award, while others were given a patch or certificate for participation. —Nik Popli, Time, 31 July 2025

The report found metro Milwaukee's hiring rate to be in the 98th percentile, with affordability in the 70th percentile and wages in the 46th percentile. —Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 21 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for percentile

• campanile
• chrysotile
• domicil
• domicile
• mercantile
• neuropil
• nonpareil
• peristyle
• reconcile
• thermopile
• aisle
• bile

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