Words / B2

KWONT-it-uh-tiv/ˈkwɒntɪtətɪv/

Quantitative is about amounts in numbers: quantitative data, a quantitative study, quantitative easing (a central-bank policy). Qualitative (already in the dictionary) is about meaning and experience, not counts. Quantity is the noun. In speech, number-based is enough. Methods courses pair the two. Do not call an interview study quantitative unless you coded it into numbers, and do not write “quantitive” (missing a).

Meaning

Connected with amounts that can be measured in numbers (often paired with qualitative).

Examples

• “The study combined quantitative survey data with interviews.”
• “The paper is quantitative: sample size, confidence intervals, no interviews.”
• “Quantitative easing is a Bank of England tool, which is the policy sense, not a student survey.”

Good to know

quantitative data / research. Pair: qualitative. Noun: quantity. Everyday: number-based. Spelling: quantitative (not quantitive). Policy: quantitative easing.

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