quintile

noun

quin·​tile ˈkwin-ˌtī(-ə)l 

: any of the four values that divide the items of a frequency distribution into five classes with each containing one fifth of the total population

also : any one of the five classes

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Breaking Down the Meaning of Quintile

Many people have a deep interest in statistics about themselves, whether the information provided is about income, ice-cream consumption, or trash production. And any such rating can be divided into fifths, or quintiles. The fifth or lowest quintile would include the 20 percent of the population who make the least money or eat the least ice cream or generate the least trash, and the first quintile would include the 20 percent who make, eat, or generate the most.

Examples of quintile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Tax Policy Center, which provides nonpartisan analysis of tax and budget policy, projected the bill would result next year in a $150 tax break for the lowest quintile of Americans, a $1,750 tax cut for the middle quintile and a $10,950 tax cut for the top quintile. —arkansasonline.com, 4 July 2025

Non partisan group the Tax Policy Center predicted that the bill would result next year in a $150 tax break for the lowest quintile of Americans, a $1,750 tax cut for the middle quintile and a $10,950 tax cut for the top quintile. —Daniel Orton kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 July 2025

In medicine alone, over 75% of students come from the top two income quintiles. —Leadership Brainery, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

The second quintile of dividend yielders can be a fertile ground for income investors, as companies that pay the richest yields may be more likely to cut their payments if their finances come under pressure. —Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 22 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin quintus + English -ile entry 2

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quintile

• lintel
• pintle
• quintal