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.

OTHER WORDS FOR empirical

1, 2 practical, firsthand, pragmatic.

See synonyms for empirical on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR empirical

1, 2 secondhand, theoretical.

See antonyms for empirical on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

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

How to use empirical in a sentence

There was a lot of positive feedback from people interested in non-gender binary people.
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She ultimately ditched JSwipe after about a week and found her current, non-Jewish, boyfriend on OkCupid.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
An atheist counsels his fellow non-believers on how not to talk to people of faith.
The Case Against In-Your-Face Atheism|Steve Neumann|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The distinction between over-policing and non-responsiveness was alive and well in Bed-Stuy.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Last summer, Louisiana also banned non-legal adoption, with offenders facing a penalty of $5,000 and up to five years in prison.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The expatriated ex-rebels became alarmed by the non-receipt of the indemnity instalment and the news from their homes.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
He also states that the Audiencia is virtually non-existent, and so there is no high court in which justice may be sought.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
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
De moi, je ne say qu'en dire, d'autant que je ne veux affirmer ny le si ny le non en ce dont je n'ay vidence.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Certes le capitaine Merveilles et ses gens monstrerent leur pit non vulgaire.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various

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

OTHER WORDS FOR empirical

OPPOSITES FOR empirical

Origin of empirical

OTHER WORDS FROM empirical

Words related to empirical

How to use empirical in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for empirical

Derived forms of empirical

Scientific definitions for empirical