quintile
C2Formal; Technical; Academic
Definition
Meaning
One of five equal groups into which a statistical population can be divided, each representing 20% of the population.
A specific section or division of a graded set of data or resources, often used in economics, sociology, and statistics to analyze distribution and inequality.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is primarily statistical, denoting a specific, calculated division. It implies a ranking from lowest to highest (e.g., bottom quintile, top quintile). Not typically used for casual division into fifths.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage; spelling is identical.
Connotations
Both carry a formal, analytical connotation associated with data reports and socioeconomic studies.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in both varieties, confined to technical and academic contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
belong to the [top/bottom] quintilerank in the [second] quintiledivide the data into quintilesfall within the lowest income quintileVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in market analysis and corporate reports to segment customer income or spending, e.g., 'Our product is most popular with the top income quintile.'
Academic
Common in social sciences, economics, and education research to discuss inequality, e.g., 'The study compared test scores across socioeconomic quintiles.'
Everyday
Rare. Might appear in simplified news reports about income or wealth distribution.
Technical
Standard term in statistics and data analysis for any ranked division into five equal parts.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- [No standard verb form]
American English
- [No standard verb form]
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverb form]
American English
- [No standard adverb form]
adjective
British English
- The quintile distribution was calculated.
- They performed a quintile analysis.
American English
- The report included quintile breakdowns.
- She studied the quintile rankings.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- [Too advanced for A2]
- The children were divided into quintiles based on their test scores.
- The policy's impact was most pronounced for households in the top wealth quintile, exacerbating existing inequalities.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a QUINtile as dividing something into a QUINtity of five (QUIN = five) equal tiles or slices.
Conceptual Metaphor
DIVISION AS LAYERS/STRATA (e.g., 'The bottom quintile of earners'), RANKING AS A LADDER (e.g., 'climbing to the top quintile').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating as 'квартиль' (quartile). 'Квинтиль' is a direct but low-frequency loanword. More naturally, 'одна пятая часть' or 'пятая группа (по уровню дохода и т.д.)'.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing 'quintile' with 'quartile' (four parts) or 'decile' (ten parts).
- Using it as a casual synonym for 'fifth' outside a ranked statistical context.
Practice
Quiz
What does 'quintile' specifically refer to?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
A quintile divides data into five groups (each 20%). A percentile divides data into 100 groups (each 1%). The top quintile is equivalent to the 80th percentile and above.
No, 'quintile' is a noun and sometimes an adjective (e.g., quintile data). The process is 'to divide into quintiles'.
No. While common for socioeconomic data, it can be used for any ranked numerical set, e.g., dividing companies by market capitalisation or schools by exam results into quintiles.
It comes from the Latin 'quintus' meaning 'fifth', via the Medieval Latin 'quintilis'.