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

Within Milwaukee Public Schools, over half of students in 4-year-old kindergarten through third grade – or about 12,500 students – scored below the 25th percentile nationally on early literacy assessments last school year, according to the state Department of Instruction. —Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 6 Mar. 2026

Just realize everything went right last season, and Perdomo’s power is limited with an average exit velocity in the 16th percentile last year. —Dalton Del Don, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026

Over the last three years, Bunting ranks in the 89th percentile among forwards at drawing penalties. —Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026

Dew point temperatures, which can indicate atmospheric moisture levels, will remain at or above the 90th percentile, keeping overnight temperatures mild and the air feeling soupy, the National Weather Service said. —Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 4 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