stochastic
adjective
sto·chas·tic
stə-ˈka-stik 
stō-
1
: random
specifically
: involving a random variable
a stochastic process
2
: involving chance or probability : probabilistic
a stochastic model of radiation-induced mutation
Examples of stochastic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The author dispels the clean, linear, and prescient process triumphantly portrayed in the aftermath of success, instead revealing the messy, stochastic, and circumstantial process that can — in rare, tantalizing cases — improve human health.
—
Sarah Mupo, STAT, 5 July 2023
The MoE policy is composed of stochastic subpolicies that allow exploration of multiple distinct regions of the action space (or strategies) and a high- level selection policy to guide exploration toward the most promising regions.
—Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 2 June 2023
The research is an important step in identifying how and why people can become radicalized online by what has been termed stochastic terrorism, in which hate speech is used to incite violent acts, Burghardt said.
—Christian Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023
Deep learning avoids this trap by initializing the parameters randomly and then iteratively adjusting sets of them to better fit the data using a method called stochastic gradient descent.
—Neil C. Thompson, IEEE Spectrum, 24 Sep. 2021
The 12x3x3 weekly slow stochastic reading is declining at 28.60.
—Richard Henry Suttmeier, Forbes, 31 Aug. 2021
The balance is split about evenly between genetic influence, and other random unaccounted for environmental/stochastic factors.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2012
Are these machines stochastic parrots, or alien intelligences, or fraudulent tricksters?
—Oliver Whang, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2023
It's called stochastic terrorism.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2022
See More
Sarah Mupo, STAT, 5 July 2023
The MoE policy is composed of stochastic subpolicies that allow exploration of multiple distinct regions of the action space (or strategies) and a high- level selection policy to guide exploration toward the most promising regions.
—Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 2 June 2023
The research is an important step in identifying how and why people can become radicalized online by what has been termed stochastic terrorism, in which hate speech is used to incite violent acts, Burghardt said.
—Christian Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023
Deep learning avoids this trap by initializing the parameters randomly and then iteratively adjusting sets of them to better fit the data using a method called stochastic gradient descent.
—Neil C. Thompson, IEEE Spectrum, 24 Sep. 2021
The 12x3x3 weekly slow stochastic reading is declining at 28.60.
—Richard Henry Suttmeier, Forbes, 31 Aug. 2021
The balance is split about evenly between genetic influence, and other random unaccounted for environmental/stochastic factors.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2012
Are these machines stochastic parrots, or alien intelligences, or fraudulent tricksters?
—Oliver Whang, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2023
It's called stochastic terrorism.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stochastic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Stochastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stochastic. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Medical Definition
stochastic
adjective
sto·chas·tic
stə-ˈkas-tik
stō-
stō-
1
: involving a random variable
a stochastic process
2
: involving chance or probability
a stochastic model of radiation-induced mutation
More from Merriam-Webster on stochastic
Britannica English: Translation of stochastic for Arabic Speakers
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