: lack of straightness or symmetry : distortion
especially
: lack of symmetry in a frequency distribution
Examples of skewness in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The complex answer is that stock returns have strong positive skewness.
—
Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
And any kind of a skewness in participation will destroy that representativeness.
—Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 4 June 2025
Also note that both the skewness and kurtosis for a coin toss is minimum when the risks are balanced; i.e. the probability of success and failure are equal to 50% each.
—Vineer Bhansali, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Positive skewness is upside potential.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 18 Mar. 2023
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Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
And any kind of a skewness in participation will destroy that representativeness.
—Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 4 June 2025
Also note that both the skewness and kurtosis for a coin toss is minimum when the risks are balanced; i.e. the probability of success and failure are equal to 50% each.
—Vineer Bhansali, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Positive skewness is upside potential.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 18 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Skewness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skewness. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
skewness
noun
skew·ness
ˈskyü-nəs 
: lack of straightness or of agreement in size, shape, or position of parts on opposite sides of a dividing line or center
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