residual.

1. Left after other parts have been removed, accounted for, or changed.

2. The difference between an observed value and the value predicted by a model.

3. A payment made for later reuse or broadcast of a performer's recorded work.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• residual risk
• residual uncertainty

On the page

Residual uncertainty remained even after the additional tests.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Normally non-gradable; no ordinary comparative or superlative. Noun singular residual; plural residuals. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, evaluation, qualification. Commonness: moderately common.