variance

/ˈvɛriəns/
noun
  1. A difference or disagreement between two or more things; the state of being different or conflicting.
    • The variance in test scores showed that some students understood the material better than others.
    • The couple's opinions were at variance about where to go on vacation.
    • There was a variance between the two reports on the accident.
  2. In statistics, a measure of how much a set of numbers is spread out from the average.
    • To calculate variance, you find the average of the squared differences from the mean.
    • A low variance means the numbers are very close to each other.
    • The variance of the data set was high, indicating a wide range of values.
  3. An official permission to do something that is normally not allowed by rules or laws.
    • The city granted a variance to allow the restaurant to build a larger patio.
    • Without a variance, the company could not exceed the noise limit.
    • The homeowner applied for a zoning variance to build a taller fence.
What does "variance" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean