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

Did you know?

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

However, all of the growth seen in this year’s NAEP math results in North Carolina was due to higher scores among the top quartile of students. —Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2025

Research has shown that only about 15% of the companies in the top growth quartile in 1985 were able to sustain their top-quartile performance for at least 30 years. —Jenn Lim jen Fisher, Harvard Business Review, 3 Apr. 2024

Several factors are driving the shift toward a buyer's market in New York: Inventory growth: With 1,660 properties currently listed in the New Residential Market and 415 in the top quartile, buyers have more options than ever. —Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025

Low-income respondents have profoundly less trust in institutions than the top quartile. —Richard Edelman, TIME, 19 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary, from Latin quartus

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above