Word
stochastic
Phoneticssto·chas·tic
US/stoʊˈkæstɪk/
UK/stətʃˈɑːstɪk/
Definition
adj. describing something that happens by chance or has a random pattern. You use this when you cannot predict exactly what will happen next, even if you know the general trend.
adj. having a random probability distribution or pattern that may be analysed statistically but may not be predicted precisely. Often used in technical contexts to describe processes involving chance.
Examples
“The stock market often shows stochastic behavior.”
“Scientists use stochastic models to predict how a virus might spread through a population where individual movements are random.”
“While the overall growth of the forest follows a predictable curve, the survival of any individual sapling is a stochastic process influenced by localized weather and soil conditions.”
Examples
simple
“The stock market often shows stochastic behavior.”
contextual
“Scientists use stochastic models to predict how a virus might spread through a population where individual movements are random.”
complex
“While the overall growth of the forest follows a predictable curve, the survival of any individual sapling is a stochastic process influenced by localized weather and soil conditions.”
Usage
Often appears before nouns like 'process', 'model', or 'variable'.
Real-World Examples
“Rather than depending on the stochastic behavior of individual skyrmions, large populations of magnetic textures evolve collectively and deterministically.” “Categorization becomes stochastic or probabilistic at that point.” Etymology
From Ancient Greek στοχαστικός (stokhastikós), from στοχάζομαι (stokházomai, “aim at a target, guess”), from στόχος (stókhos, “an aim, a guess”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/stochastic