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

Medical loss ratios in the mid to low 80th percentile are considered good for most health insurers. —Bruce Japsen, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025

To make the three metrics comparable, each metro was assigned a percentile rank for wages, hiring and affordability. —Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Aug. 2025

This team was already good enough to go into August with the second-best record in the majors and playoff probabilities in the 90th percentile. —Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025

Bednar, a 35th-round pick back in 2016, adds power stuff to the Yankees’ pitching staff, as his 97.1-mph average fastball velocity ranks in the 89th percentile. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 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