qualitative

adjective

qual·​i·​ta·​tive ˈkwä-lə-ˌtā-tiv How to pronounce qualitative (audio)
: of, relating to, or involving quality or kind
qualitatively adverb

Examples of qualitative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Combine the qualitative insights from the focus groups with the quantitative metrics from the surveys. Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2023 Students draw on their research and their qualitative and quantitative skills to prepare final oral and written analyses and recommendations. Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2023 The qualitative change clearly isn’t to everyone’s taste. Reuters, CNN, 11 Aug. 2023 Jigsaw also posted results of a recent qualitative study in which researchers interviewed people who had had posts or accounts removed by mainstream social media platforms as a result of enforcement actions. Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 14 July 2023 Researchers also conducted qualitative interviews and analyzed hundreds of thousands of tweets. Types of threats and harassment ranged from aggressive or hostile language to physically restricting people’s movement, death threats and showing up at people’s homes, the research found. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 July 2023 Nominees are evaluated based on qualitative and quantitative measures that weigh an investor’s momentum, position, reputation and other variables. Truebridge Capital, Forbes, 4 May 2023 Deborah Padgett, a professor at Silver School of Social Work at New York University who studies homelessness, conducted a small qualitative study of people moved to hotels during the pandemic. Joanna Slater, Anchorage Daily News, 8 July 2023 But that’s success in metrics only—quantitative, not qualitative. WIRED, 25 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'qualitative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of qualitative was in 1607

Dictionary Entries Near qualitative

Cite this Entry

“Qualitative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/qualitative. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

qualitative

adjective
qual·​i·​ta·​tive ˈkwäl-ə-ˌtāt-iv How to pronounce qualitative (audio)
: of, relating to, or involving quality or kind
qualitatively adverb

Medical Definition

qualitative

adjective
qual·​i·​ta·​tive ˈkwäl-ə-ˌtāt-iv How to pronounce qualitative (audio)
: of, relating to, or involving quality or kind
qualitative changes
qualitatively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on qualitative

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