percentually

Percentually is an adverb used to indicate that something is expressed or considered in terms of percent, or as a percentage. It signals a relation to a whole expressed as a portion of 100, rather than to a raw count.

Etymology and form: The term is built from percent with the suffix -ally. Percent derives from French pour cent, from Latin per centum; percentually follows the same root in an adverbial form. It is less common than standard phrases such as “as a percentage” or “in percentage terms.”

Usage and stylistic notes: In modern formal writing, percentually is relatively rare and many style guides prefer clearer alternatives such as “in percentage terms,” “as a percentage,” or simply “percent.” The word is most appropriate when contrasting multiple proportions or when emphasis is on the rate relative to a whole, rather than on raw counts. It should not be confused with percentile, which refers to a position within a distribution (for example, the 90th percentile).

Examples:

- In percentage terms, the growth was 8 percent.

- The report presents results percentually, highlighting how the share changed relative to the total.

Limitations: Because it can be ambiguous or awkward, percentually is often avoided in favor of more direct phrasing. When precision is important, specify whether you mean a percentage, a percentage point difference, or a position within a distribution.

See also: percent, percentage, percentage point, percentile.