decile

American

[des-il, -ahyl] / ˈdɛs ɪl, -aɪl /

noun

Statistics.

one of the values of a variable that divides the distribution of the variable into ten groups having equal frequencies.

decile British

/ -aɪl, ˈdɛsɪl /

noun

statistics
1. one of nine actual or notional values of a variable dividing its distribution into ten groups with equal frequencies: the ninth decile is the value below which 90% of the population lie See also percentile
2. a tenth part of a distribution

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of decile

First recorded in 1880–85; dec- + -ile

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Imagine paying attention to a valuation indicator only when it is in the top or bottom decile of its historical distribution.

From MarketWatch

So far, implied volatility is currently in the bottom decile of where it has been over the past five years.

From Barron's

Also striking: The share owned by the decile of wealthy households that rank just below the top 1% has shrunk slightly.

From The Wall Street Journal

Among the top decile of DoorDash customers, the frequency of use has increased, and not only for food delivery.

From Barron's

The first column focuses on the 10% of days last year in which the timers were most optimistic; the second column focuses on the decile of days in which the timers were most pessimistic.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023