methodological

American  

[meth-uh-dl-oj-i-kuhl] / ˌmɛθ ə dlˈɒdʒ ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or following the system of methods, principles, and rules that regulate a given discipline.

   This chapter provides practical advice, case studies, and methodological instruction.

   In his Principia, Sir Isaac Newton laid the methodological foundation of modern scientific theory and practice.

---

Other Word Forms

• methodologically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of methodological

methodolog(y) ( def. ) + -ical ( def. )

Explanation

Use the adjective methodological when you want to describe something that relates to the methods and practices of a certain discipline. As a doctor, you should always follow best methodological practices. If a patient has a headache, don't treat him for a sore foot or vice versa. The roots of the adjective methodological can be broken into parts. Working backwards, -ical means "of or pertaining to," -ology means "branch of knowledge," and method is from both the Latin and Greek words methodus, meaning "a way of teaching or scientific inquiry." If you don't limit the variables, your research may have poor methodology. If you want to look at genes in blue-eyed people, but you study green-eyed people as well, you will have methodological problems.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

methodological

Upcoming methodological changes to those components at the BEA are likely to ease pressure on core PCE when the revised approach is rolled out next month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

James acknowledges that this creates both exciting opportunities and difficult methodological challenges.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

House of Representatives subcommittee overseeing the Census Bureau from 1987 to 1994, said the report’s minimal methodological information raised questions about the accuracy of the results.

From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026

As a trained ballet dancer, I love structure, rules and the methodological algorithm of how story ballets go.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

All last week they had Burt going over my experiments and methodological charts.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Related Words

• high-tech
• industrial
• mechanical
• professional
• scholarly
• scientific
• special
• specialized
• technological
• vocational