quartile
noun
quar·tile
ˈkwȯr-ˌtī(-ə)l 
-tᵊl
: any of the three values that divide the items of a frequency distribution into four classes with each containing one fourth of the total population
also
: any one of the four classes
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A quartile is a quarter of a specific group that has been tested or evaluated in specific ways. The first quartile is the one that scores highest and the fourth quartile scores lowest. For achievement and proficiency tests, the first quartile is the place to be; for blood pressure or cholesterol, the third quartile is healthier.
Examples of quartile in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The four funds had outperformed most of their regional peers, according to a company spokesperson, ranking in the top quartile of 479 private equity and venture capital funds in emerging Asia markets surveyed by Cambridge Associates as of the end of the first quarter.
—
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025
Nimmo’s 45% groundball rate is in the top quartile among major league hitters.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
Still, there are 120 public companies with $10 billion or more in annual revenue that rank in our top quartile for vitality—outside the top 50, but in the top 750 or so.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2025
The Big 12 didn’t publish a preseason poll this summer, but the Wildcats would have been picked for the bottom half, perhaps even the bottom quartile.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quartile
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Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025
Nimmo’s 45% groundball rate is in the top quartile among major league hitters.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
Still, there are 120 public companies with $10 billion or more in annual revenue that rank in our top quartile for vitality—outside the top 50, but in the top 750 or so.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2025
The Big 12 didn’t publish a preseason poll this summer, but the Wildcats would have been picked for the bottom half, perhaps even the bottom quartile.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quartile
Cite this Entry
“Quartile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quartile. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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