bell curve
noun
plural bell curves
: the symmetrical bell-shaped curve of a normal distribution : normal curve
Along the hilly slopes of the bell curve, most values—the data points that track whatever is being measured—are clustered around the middle. The average value is also the most common value.—
David A. Shaywitz
David A. ShaywitzExamples of bell curve in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The law is represented by a bell curve with low arousal (or stress) on the left side and high arousal on the right side.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
During the 92nd Congress, the bell curves overlapped by roughly 25 percent -- that is, there were a significant number of Democrats who were more conservative than some Republicans and many Republicans who were more liberal than some Democrats.
—R. Glenn Hubbard, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2013
The ideological distribution of voting patterns within each party resembles a bell curve, with the Democratic bell toward the left side of the spectrum and the Republican curve toward the right side.
—R. Glenn Hubbard, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2013
In reality, the severity of conditions such as depression, substance dependence and social anxiety varies across the population following the pattern of the classic bell curve.
—Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 4 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bell curve 
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Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
During the 92nd Congress, the bell curves overlapped by roughly 25 percent -- that is, there were a significant number of Democrats who were more conservative than some Republicans and many Republicans who were more liberal than some Democrats.
—R. Glenn Hubbard, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2013
The ideological distribution of voting patterns within each party resembles a bell curve, with the Democratic bell toward the left side of the spectrum and the Republican curve toward the right side.
—R. Glenn Hubbard, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2013
In reality, the severity of conditions such as depression, substance dependence and social anxiety varies across the population following the pattern of the classic bell curve.
—Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 4 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bell curve
Dictionary Entries Near bell curve
Cite this Entry
“Bell curve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bell%20curve. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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