empirical

[ em-pir-i-kuhl ]

/ ɛmˈpɪr ɪ kəl /

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See synonyms for: empirical / empirically on Thesaurus.com

adjective

derived from or guided by direct experience or by experiment, rather than abstract principles or theory: Empirical evidence of changes in kelp consumption was gathered by measuring the bite marks in seaweed fronds.

depending upon experience or observation alone, without using scientific method or theory, and hence sometimes insufficiently authoritative, especially as in medicine: That is nothing but an empirical conclusion with no regard for the laws of thermodynamics.

provable or verifiable by experience or experiment, as scientific laws: Theoretical physics is criticized for producing complex concepts that are mathematical, not empirical.

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OTHER WORDS FOR empirical

1, 2 practical, firsthand, pragmatic.

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OPPOSITES FOR empirical

1, 2 secondhand, theoretical.

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Origin of empirical

First recorded in 1560–70; empiric + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM empirical

em·pir·i·cal·ly, adverbem·pir·i·cal·ness, nounan·ti·em·pir·i·cal, adjectivenon·em·pir·i·cal, adjective

o·ver·em·pir·i·cal, adjectivesem·i·em·pir·i·cal, adjectiveun·em·pir·i·cal, adjective

Words nearby empirical

Empire Day, Empire State, Empire State Building, Empire State of the South, empiric, empirical, empirical formula, empirically, empiricism, Empirin, empirism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use empirical in a sentence

Scientific history also shows that as empirical knowledge increases, we tend to converge on a shared explanation.
Your Guide to the Many Meanings of Quantum Mechanics - Facts So Romantic|Sabine Hossenfelder|September 3, 2020|Nautilus
As a philosopher who focuses on the study of animal cognition, I examine both empirical and theoretical work to answer these types of questions.
Animals That Can Do Math Understand More Language Than We Think|Erik Nelson|June 14, 2020|Singularity Hub
According to Raposo, it “called the attention of many scientists working in the area to the use of more powerful and modern statistical techniques of empirical data analysis of animal movement.”
Random Search Wired Into Animals May Help Them Hunt|Liam Drew|June 11, 2020|Quanta Magazine
For economists who already felt confident in the theoretical arguments against rent control, research like Diamond’s provides empirical evidence that essentially tells the same story.
Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work (Ep. 373 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|March 12, 2020|Freakonomics

So Bob, you and your fellow C-POST researchers try to use empirical means, data analysis — when available — to understand foreign policy.
Speak Softly and Carry Big Data (Ep. 395)|Stephen J. Dubner|October 31, 2019|Freakonomics
How do archaeologists wrap an empirical mind around capturing history?
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark|Alex Belth|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Overall, the weight of the empirical evidence supports these essentially conservative arguments for the minimum wage.
To Make Their Victory Durable, the GOP Must Fix the Minimum Wage|Dmitri Mehlhorn|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In all, Schwitzgebel thinks that this study has been an important step forward in empirical research of morality.
It’s Official: Religion Doesn’t Make You More Moral|Elizabeth Picciuto|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is little empirical data on how an early marriage affects young men.
The Sad Hidden Plight of Child Grooms|Nina Strochlic|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No empirical data support his claim that the birth of a baby with Down syndrome makes the world—or the baby—unhappier.
Richard Dawkins Would Fail Philosophy 101|Elizabeth Picciuto|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is at best an empirical test and must be interpreted in the light of clinical symptoms.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
So long as bridge building was an empirical art, great waste of material was unavoidable.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
The margin of uncertainty which must be met by empirical allowances on the side of safety has been steadily diminished.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
Waddell (De Pontibus) gives the following convenient empirical relations.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
Nor do I think they would have learnt much of the art from Mr. Bradlaugh, except in an empirical way.
Reminiscences of Charles Bradlaugh|George W. Foote

British Dictionary definitions for empirical

empirical

/ (ɛmˈpɪrɪkəl) /

adjective

derived from or relating to experiment and observation rather than theory

(of medical treatment) based on practical experience rather than scientific proof

philosophy

(of knowledge) derived from experience rather than by logic from first principlesCompare a priori, a posteriori
(of a proposition) subject, at least theoretically, to verificationCompare analytic (def. 4), synthetic (def. 4)

of or relating to medical quackery

noun

statistics the posterior probability of an event derived on the basis of its observed frequency in a sampleCompare mathematical probability See also posterior probability

Derived forms of empirical

empirically, adverbempiricalness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for empirical

empirical

[ ĕm-pîr′ĭ-kəl ]

Relying on or derived from observation or experiment.

empirical

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Origin of empirical

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How to use empirical in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for empirical

Derived forms of empirical

Scientific definitions for empirical