descriptive analysis
/dɪˈskrɪptɪv əˈnæləsɪs/ · di·skrip·tiv a·na·lis·s
noun
- A systematic examination of data that describes its main features, often using summary statistics, without making inferences or predictions. The researchers performed a descriptive analysis of the survey responses before proceeding to inferential tests.
- A type of analysis that focuses on describing the characteristics of a dataset, such as mean, median, mode, and distribution. The descriptive analysis revealed that the average score was 75, with a standard deviation of 10.
Synonyms
qualitative analysisdescriptive statisticsdescriptive studydescriptive evaluationsummary analysisexploratory data analysis
Antonyms
Did you know? Descriptive analysis was first formalized in the 1940s by statisticians like Karl Pearson, who used it to summarize large datasets before the advent of modern computing.