conditional probability

Definition of conditional probabilitynext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conditional probability His lasting contribution came posthumously, in a Royal Society paper on conditional probability. Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025 Fraud Detection As mentioned earlier, conditional probability allows firms to update risk assessments in real-time. Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 Thus was born, in these villages, the idea of conditional probabilities and, with it, the practice of conditional love. Weike Wang, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024 The prosecutor’s fallacy emerges constantly in problems of conditional probability, leading us sirenlike towards precisely the wrong conclusions—and undetected, sends innocent people to jail. David Robert Grimes, Scientific American, 8 Dec. 2023 The Goldman team sees a 30% probability of entering a recession over the next year, up from 15% previously, and a 25% conditional probability of entering a recession in the second year if one is avoided in the first. Enda Curran, Fortune, 21 June 2022 Each term in the Drake equation sets the conditional probability of the term that comes after. Corey S. Powell, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2021 To calculate the probability of the outcome resulting from any particular branch (a conditional probability), the probabilities of the sequence of events are multiplied. New York Times, 13 May 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conditional probability
Noun
  • And then only the rest of that percentage is actually something that might come from the cocoa tree.
    Dana Taylor, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Dëmin ranks ninth among rookies in assists, eighth in assists per game, seventh in assist percentage and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio.
    C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • There’s also a 55% greater chance of obesity and a 40% higher probability of developing type 2 diabetes.
    Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
  • The highest probability for fog looks to be along the Balcones Escarpment, with patchy fog also possible across the Coastal Plains and along the Interstate 35 corridor.
    Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Most people at the meeting, held over Microsoft Teams, expressed excitement at the potential for conservation in an area stretching from Will Rogers State Beach to Torrance, plus 200 yards inland.
    Susanne Rust Follow, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
  • But potential alone does not pay the bills, lower energy costs or create opportunity.
    Steve Hershey, Baltimore Sun, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • How come this outcome or set of outcomes occurred, as opposed to any other possibility?
    Big Think, Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
  • There’s a possibility that Takaichi is going to move very aggressively.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Conditional probability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conditional%20probability. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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