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variance
This term carries a clinical and precise energy, typically appearing in technical, financial, or scientific environments. It suggests a measurable gap or a deviation from a standard, rather than a simple difference. When someone speaks of variance, they are usually analyzing a discrepancy to find a cause or a pattern.
In a social or legal context, it refers to a formal permission to bypass a rule or zoning law. This usage shifts the feeling from a mathematical observation to an official exception, implying a structured process of requesting a deviation from the norm.
Countable when referring to a specific permitted deviation from a building code or rule. Uncountable when referring to the general statistical concept of dispersion.
Meanings
The quality or state of being different or divergent.
There is a significant variance in the quality of the products.
A statistical measurement of the spread between numbers in a data set.
The analyst calculated the variance to determine the risk level.
The difference between a planned budget and the actual expenditure.
The monthly report showed a budget variance of five thousand dollars.
Examples
There is a noticeable variance in the temperature between the two rooms.
The researcher used variance to analyze the distribution of the sample data.
The company must explain the large variance between the projected and actual costs.