variance


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var·i·ance

 (vâr′ē-əns, văr′-)
n.
1. The state or quality of being variant or variable; variation: considerable variance in temperature across the region.
2.
a. Difference or inconsistency: Your behavior is at variance with your beliefs.
b. The state or fact of being in disagreement or in conflict: I am at variance with her over who should pay for the damage.
3. Law
a. A discrepancy between two statements or documents, especially between the charge in a criminal indictment and the evidence presented.
b. An exception to the application of a usual rule, granted by an authority on the basis of hardship or practicality: 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; the degrees of freedom of a system.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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.
3. at variance
a. (often foll by with) (of facts, etc) not in accord; conflicting
b. (of persons) in a state of dissension
4. (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. (Accounting & Book-keeping) accounting the difference between actual and standard costs of production
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

var•i•ance

(ˈvɛər i əns)

n.
1. the state of being variable or different.
2. an instance of varying.
3. Statistics. the square of the standard deviation.
4. the number of degrees of freedom of a physical system.
5. Law.
a. a discrepancy, as between two sworn statements.
b. a departure from the cause of action originally stated in a legal complaint.
6. a permit to do something normally regulated by law.
7. a disagreement or dispute.
Idioms:
at variance, in a state of disagreement.
[1300–50; Middle English < Latin]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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.variance - a difference between conflicting facts or claims or opinionsvariance - 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.variance - the quality of being subject to variationvariance - 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.variance - an activity that varies from a norm or standardvariance - 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"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

variance

noun
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

variance

[ˈvɛəriəns] n
to be at variance with sth [+ evidence, facts, ideas] → être en désaccord avec qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

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)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
I lament afresh the cruel necessity which sets our interests at variance, and opposes us to each other.
And because it requireth elevation, therefore doth it require steps, and variance of steps and climbers!
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.
How good of you, I said; but I should like to know also whether injustice, having this tendency to arouse hatred, wherever existing, among slaves or among freemen, will not make them hate one another and set them at variance and render them incapable of common action?
The ideas of humor among the green men of Mars are widely at variance with our conceptions of incitants to merriment.
"Dear Sir,-- "The disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured father always gave me much uneasiness, and since I have had the misfortune to lose him, I have frequently wished to heal the breach; but for some time I was kept back by my own doubts, fearing lest it might seem disrespectful to his memory for me to be on good terms with anyone with whom it had always pleased him to be at variance,-- There, Mrs.
He was in an intermediate state between sleeping and waking; at variance with himself, with his company, with the country, and with the government.
Alliance by blood, or marriage, is a frequent cause of war between princes; and the nearer the kindred is, the greater their disposition to quarrel; poor nations are hungry, and rich nations are proud; and pride and hunger will ever be at variance. For these reasons, the trade of a soldier is held the most honourable of all others; because a soldier is a YAHOO hired to kill, in cold blood, as many of his own species, who have never offended him, as possibly he can.
dost thou still persist, Sancho," said Don Quixote, "in saying, thinking, believing, and maintaining that my lady Dulcinea was sifting wheat, that being an occupation and task entirely at variance with what is and should be the employment of persons of distinction, who are constituted and reserved for other avocations and pursuits that show their rank a bowshot off?
The provision is, that the parties at variance shall each choose four judges out of the neutral cantons, who, in case of disagreement, choose an umpire.
Suppose, then, that the expressions defining the authority of the convention were irreconcilably at variance with each other; that a NATIONAL and ADEQUATE GOVERNMENT could not possibly, in the judgment of the convention, be affected by ALTERATIONS and PROVISIONS in the ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION; which part of the definition ought to have been embraced, and which rejected?