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

In a flat-rate COLA, the percentage increase is calculated the same way, but it will only be applied to those in the 20th percentile. — Medora Lee, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026

Catcher Dillon Dingler ranks in the league’s 49th percentile for sprint speed. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

The black dotted forecast line shows the multi-model median whereas the surrounding range shows the 25th–75th percentiles. — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2026

And his fastball sits in the 91st percentile in terms of velocity, per Baseball Savant. — Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for percentile

• campanile
• chamomile
• domicil
• domicile
• mercantile
• neuropil
• peristyle
• reconcile
• thermopile
• aisle
• bile
• chyle

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