Ordinal variables are a type of categorical variable that possess a clear, ordered relationship among their categories. Unlike nominal variables, which have no inherent order, ordinal variables allow for ranking or ordering of the categories based on a specific criterion. Common examples include ratings on a Likert scale, such as “poor,” “fair,” “good,” and “excellent,” where the terms indicate a progression in quality. Understanding ordinal variables is crucial in statistical analysis, particularly in methods like ordinal logistic regression, which accounts for the ordered nature of the data when making predictions or analyzing relationships between variables.