observation
Americannoun
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an act or instance of noticing or perceiving.
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an act or instance of regarding attentively or watching.
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the faculty or habit of observing or noticing.
- Synonyms:
- attention
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notice.
to escape a person's observation.
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an act or instance of viewing or noting a fact or occurrence for some scientific or other special purpose.
the observation of blood pressure under stress.
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the information or record secured by such an act.
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something that is learned in the course of observing things.
My observation is that such clouds mean a storm.
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a remark, comment, or statement based on what one has noticed or observed.
- Synonyms:
- opinion, pronouncement
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the condition of being observed.
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Navigation.
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the measurement of the altitude or azimuth of a heavenly body for navigational purposes.
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the information obtained by such a measurement.
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Obsolete. observance, as of the law.
noun
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the act of observing or the state of being observed
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a comment or remark
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detailed examination of phenomena prior to analysis, diagnosis, or interpretation
the patient was under observation
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the facts learned from observing
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an obsolete word for observance
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nautical
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a sight taken with an instrument to determine the position of an observer relative to that of a given heavenly body
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the data so taken
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Related Words
See remark.
Other Word Forms
- nonobservation noun
- observational adjective
- observationally adverb
- preobservation noun
- reobservation noun
- self-observation noun
Etymology
Origin of observation
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin observātiōn-, stem of observātiō “attention, inspection, surveillance,” from observāt(us) “watched” (past participle of observāre “to watch, regard, attend to”; observe ) + -iō -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One of the biggest challenges is the lack of reliable weather observations in mountain regions.
From Science Daily
Much like a snow avalanche that starts with a small shift before cascading downhill, new observations show that solar flares begin with subtle magnetic disturbances that rapidly intensify.
From Science Daily
The observations revealed an unexpected and dramatic result.
From Science Daily
By combining the observations with computer modeling, the team discovered that the jet from VV 340a does not move in a straight line.
From Science Daily
Butt previously objected strongly to an observation from a United official that youth development is about more than simply winning.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
