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

Elliott Paintsil, Conor Hylton’s childhood friend, said his friend achieved a 99 percentile on the Dental Admission Test. —Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2026

At the combine, Simpson measured in just a little over 6-foot-1, which puts him in the 20th percentile for quarterbacks. —Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026

The table below shows the 25th and 75th percentile admitted GPAs, which represent the range of GPAs for the middle half of students admitted into each UC program in 2025. —Nami Sumida, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Mar. 2026

Statewide, nearly 37% of 4K through third graders tested below the 25th percentile, results from the exams show. —Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 6 Mar. 2026

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