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empirically

American  
[em-pir-ik-lee] / ɛmˈpɪr ɪk li /

adverb

  1. in a way that is based on or guided by experience or experiment.

    We hope that this study will form the basis for future empirically grounded research and policy analysis.

  2. in a way that is provable or verifiable by experience or experiment.

    Can it be stated empirically that the Latino vote was the single biggest factor contributing to the candidate's victory?


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of empirically

empirical ( def. ) + -ly

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.

See Examples For:

Adam Parker: I have always been interested in empirically studying things.

From Barron's Apr. 30, 2026

“Wouldn’t it be better for us to be able to give them empirically sound data upon which to base their decisions for use or their decisions not to use?”

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 23, 2026

And they empirically tested that theory, looking at the correlation of buy-the-dip versus the SG Trend index, which is the average return of the top 10 hedge funds running trend-following strategies.

From MarketWatch Dec. 5, 2025

You must study it empirically, accounting for confounding variables and using rigorous methodology.

From Slate Sep. 26, 2025

Yet however “quaint” the universes of the archaic or classical sages might have seemed by the third century, they were far from empirically disproven.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

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