English Reference

Word

quantitative

Phoneticsquan·ti·ta·tive

US/ˈkwɑntɪˌteɪtɪv/

UK/kwˈɒntɪtˌeɪtɪv/

Definitions

01based on numbers

B2

adj. describes information or research that uses numbers and measurements.

adj. relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something rather than its quality.

“The researchers used a quantitative approach, collecting data from over a thousand surveys.”

“The study provided quantitative evidence that the new policy had a measurable impact on local employment rates over the last decade.”

Academic

Antonyms

02chemical analysis

C1 · Science

adj. describes a test that measures exactly how much of a substance is in a sample.

adj. relating to chemical analysis that determines the precise amount or proportion of a constituent in a substance.

“The lab performed a quantitative analysis to find out how much sugar was in the drink.”

“Quantitative analysis of the soil samples revealed high concentrations of heavy metals that had previously gone undetected by visual inspection.”

Technical

Synonyms

Real-World Examples

“While archaeologists have long argued that these developments transformed ceramic production, this study provides the first quantitative evidence demonstrating that these broader historical changes were reflected in the evolving forms of everyday pottery.”
Phys.org · 20 Aug 2026
“In that role, he applies the quantitative and analytical abilities he developed during his physics research to problems in machine learning.”
ScienceDaily · 28 Jul 2026

Etymology

From Late Latin quantitātīvus. By surface analysis, quantity + -ative.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Collocations

appreciation quantitativearise quantitativemerit quantitative

Domain

Chemistry

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference