Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,807,028,404 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

variance

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
var·i·ance  (vâr-ns, vr-)
n.
1.
a. The act of varying.
b. The state or quality of being variant or variable; a variation.
c. A difference between what is expected and what actually occurs.
2. The state or fact of differing or of being in conflict. See Synonyms at discord.
3. Law
a. A discrepancy between two statements or documents in a proceeding.
b. License to engage in an act contrary to a usual rule: a zoning variance.
4. Statistics The square of the standard deviation.
5. Chemistry The number of thermodynamic variables, such as temperature and pressure, required to specify a state of equilibrium of a system, given by the phase rule.
Idiom:
at variance
In a state of discrepancy; differing: The facts are at variance with your story.

variance [ˈvɛərɪəns]
n
1. the act of varying or the quality, state, or degree of being divergent; discrepancy
2. an instance of diverging; dissension our variance on this matter should not affect our friendship
at variance
a.  (often foll by with) (of facts, etc.) not in accord; conflicting
b.  (of persons) in a state of dissension
4. (Mathematics & Measurements / Statistics) Statistics a measure of dispersion obtained by taking the mean of the squared deviations of the observed values from their mean in a frequency distribution
5. (Law) a difference or discrepancy between two steps in a legal proceeding, esp between a statement in a pleading and the evidence given to support it
6. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in the US and Canada) a licence or authority issued by the board of variance to contravene the usual rule, esp to build contrary to the provision of a zoning code
7. (Chemistry) Chem the number of degrees of freedom of a system, used in the phase rule
8. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Accounting & Book-keeping) Accounting the difference between actual and standard costs of production
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.variance - an event that departs from expectations
deviation, difference, divergence, departure - a variation that deviates from the standard or norm; "the deviation from the mean"
2.variance - discord that splits a group
dissension, discord - disagreement among those expected to cooperate
3.variance - the second moment around the mean; the expected value of the square of the deviations of a random variable from its mean value
statistics - a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the collection and interpretation of quantitative data and the use of probability theory to estimate population parameters
moment - the n-th moment of a distribution is the expected value of the n-th power of the deviations from a fixed value
standard deviation - the square root of the variance
covariance - (statistics) the mean value of the product of the deviations of two variates from their respective means
4.variancevariance - a difference between conflicting facts or claims or opinions; "a growing divergence of opinion"
difference - the quality of being unlike or dissimilar; "there are many differences between jazz and rock"
leeway, allowance, tolerance, margin - a permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits
5.variancevariance - the quality of being subject to variation
changeability, changeableness - the quality of being changeable; having a marked tendency to change; "the changeableness of the weather"
variedness - characterized by variation
variegation - variability in coloration
personal equation - variability attributable to individual differences
6.variance - an official dispensation to act contrary to a rule or regulation (typically a building regulation); "a zoning variance"
dispensation - an exemption from some rule or obligation
7.variancevariance - an activity that varies from a norm or standard; "any variation in his routine was immediately reported"
activity - any specific behavior; "they avoided all recreational activity"

variance
noun difference, contrast, discrepancy, variation, disagreement, contradiction, inconsistency, deviation, divergence, incongruity, dissimilarity the variances in the stock price
difference agreement, similarity, correspondence, accord, unison, congruity
at variance in disagreement, conflicting, at odds, in opposition, out of line, at loggerheads, at sixes and sevens (informal), out of harmony Many of his statements are at variance with the facts.
Translations
variance [ˈvɛərɪəns] N to be at variance (with sb over sth)estar en desacuerdo or discrepar(con algn en algo)
his statement is at variance with the factssus afirmaciones no concuerdan con los hechos
variance [ˈvɛəriəns] n
to be at variance with sth [+ evidence, facts, ideas] → être en désaccord avec qch
variance
n
to be at variance with somebodyanderer Meinung sein als jd (→ about hinsichtlich +gen); he is constantly at variance with his parentser hat ständig Meinungsverschiedenheiten mit seinen Eltern; this is at variance with what he said earlierdies stimmt nicht mit dem überein, was er vorher gesagt hat
(= difference)Unterschied m; a slight variance of opinioneine unterschiedliche Auffassung; the predictable variance between the two sets of figuresdie vorhersehbare Abweichung der beiden Zahlenreihen (voneinander)
variance [ˈvɛərɪəns] n
a. to be at variance (with sb over sth)essere in disaccordo (con qn per qc)
to be at variance (with sth) (facts, statements) → essere in contraddizione (con qc)
b. (Math) → varianza

variance [ˈvɛərɪəns] n
a. to be at variance (with sb over sth)essere in disaccordo (con qn per qc)
to be at variance (with sth) (facts, statements) → essere in contraddizione (con qc)
b. (Math) → varianza


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Firmly resolved, after putting his affairs in order in the regiment, to retire from the army and return and marry Sonya, Nicholas, serious, sorrowful, and at variance with his parents, but, as it seemed to him, passionately in love, left at the beginning of January to rejoin his regiment.
They were all similarly at variance in their descriptions of the figures themselves.
And because it requireth elevation, therefore doth it require steps, and variance of steps and climbers
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.