regression to the mean
regression to the mean noun: the phenomenon by which extreme examples from any set of data are likely to be followed by examples which are less extreme; a tendency towards the average of any sample. For example, the offspring of two very tall individuals tend to be tall, but closer to the average (mean) than either of their parents.
Noun
regression to the mean (plural regressions to the mean)
- The phenomenon by which extreme examples from any set of data are likely to be followed by examples which are less extreme; a tendency towards the average of any sample. For example, the offspring of two very tall individuals tend to be tall, but closer to the average (mean) than either of their parents.
Forms of regression to the mean
| plural | regressions to the mean |
|---|---|
| alternative form | regression toward the mean |
Questions about regression to the mean
- What does regression to the mean mean?
- Regression to the mean means the phenomenon by which extreme examples from any set of data are likely to be followed by examples which are less extreme; a tendency towards the average of any sample. For example, the offspring of two very tall individuals tend to be tall, but closer to the average (mean) than either of their parents.
- What part of speech is regression to the mean?
- Regression to the mean is a noun.
- What is the plural of regression to the mean?
- The plural of regression to the mean is regressions to the mean.
Words near regression to the mean in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: regression to the mean (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “regression to the mean.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/regression_to_the_mean. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.