Simpson's paradox

proper noun

The observation that the association of two variables for one subset of a population may be similar to the association of those variables in another subset, but different from the association of the variables in the total population.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. The observation that the association of two variables for one subset of a population may be similar to the association of those variables in another subset, but different from the association of the variables in the total population.

Origin

Edward H. Simpson first described this phenomenon in a technical paper in 1951.

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Cite this entry
APA

Simpson's paradox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Simpson's%20paradox

MLA

“Simpson's paradox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Simpson's%20paradox. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Simpson's paradox,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Simpson's%20paradox.

Source: Simpson's paradox on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.