Mann-Whitney U test

noun

A nonparametric test of the null hypothesis that the probability that a randomly selected value from one population is less than a randomly selected value from a second population is equal to the probability of being greater. It can be used to investigate whether two independent samples were selected from populations having the same distribution.

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Meanings

nounMann-Whitney U test (plural Mann-Whitney U tests)

plural Mann-Whitney U tests

  1. mathematicsA nonparametric test of the null hypothesis that the probability that a randomly selected value from one population is less than a randomly selected value from a second population is equal to the probability of being greater. It can be used to investigate whether two independent samples were selected from populations having the same distribution.

Origin

Developed by Henry B. Mann and Donald R. Whitney, who described it in a 1947 paper.

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Cite this entry
APA

Mann-Whitney U test. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mann-Whitney%20U%20test

MLA

“Mann-Whitney U test.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mann-Whitney%20U%20test. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mann-Whitney U test,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mann-Whitney%20U%20test.

Source: Mann-Whitney U test on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.