standard deviation
noun
1
: a measure of the dispersion of a frequency distribution that is the square root of the arithmetic mean of the squares of the deviation of each of the class frequencies from the arithmetic mean of the frequency distribution
also
: a similar quantity found by dividing by one less than the number of squares in the sum of squares instead of taking the arithmetic mean
2
: a parameter that indicates the way in which a probability function or a probability density function is centered around its mean and that is equal to the square root of the moment in which the deviation from the mean is squared
Examples of standard deviation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump Media’s daily stock performance has a standard deviation of about 13%, according to Michael Ohlrogge, associate professor at NYU School of Law.
—
Matt Egan, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
The shares are within one standard deviation of their 320-day moving average.
—Schaeffer's Investment Research, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
His curve had a 23.8% pitch-specific whiff rate, over two standard deviations higher than league average and by far the best among all qualifiers.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
For children and teens, obesity was defined as being two standard deviations higher than typical growth trends and underweight is two standard deviations below.
—Elaine Chen Reprints, STAT, 29 Feb. 2024
Dynatrace stock has come within one standard deviation of the 260-day moving average, after spending the majority of the past five years above it.
—Schaeffer's Investment Research, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
On Twitter, users construct different gestalts of the platform through their own feedback and engagement; in this respect, Musk’s usage pattern is many standard deviations away from what’s ordinary.
—Sheon Han, The New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2024
His pitch-specific 176 Adjusted Contact Score was by far the worst among qualifiers, over FOUR standard deviations worse than average.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
They are standardized so that the typical range is 0 to 100, the mean is 50 and the standard deviation is 10.
—WSJ, 11 Dec. 2022
Matt Egan, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
The shares are within one standard deviation of their 320-day moving average.
—Schaeffer's Investment Research, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
His curve had a 23.8% pitch-specific whiff rate, over two standard deviations higher than league average and by far the best among all qualifiers.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
For children and teens, obesity was defined as being two standard deviations higher than typical growth trends and underweight is two standard deviations below.
—Elaine Chen Reprints, STAT, 29 Feb. 2024
Dynatrace stock has come within one standard deviation of the 260-day moving average, after spending the majority of the past five years above it.
—Schaeffer's Investment Research, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
On Twitter, users construct different gestalts of the platform through their own feedback and engagement; in this respect, Musk’s usage pattern is many standard deviations away from what’s ordinary.
—Sheon Han, The New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2024
His pitch-specific 176 Adjusted Contact Score was by far the worst among qualifiers, over FOUR standard deviations worse than average.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
They are standardized so that the typical range is 0 to 100, the mean is 50 and the standard deviation is 10.
—WSJ, 11 Dec. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'standard deviation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near standard deviation
Cite this Entry
“Standard deviation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standard%20deviation. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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