observation

[ob-zur-vey-shuhn]

noun

1. an act or instance of noticing or perceiving.

2. an act or instance of regarding attentively or watching.

3. the faculty or habit of observing or noticing.

   Synonyms: attention

4. notice.

   to escape a person's observation.

5. 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.

6. the information or record secured by such an act.

7. something that is learned in the course of observing things.

   My observation is that such clouds mean a storm.

8. a remark, comment, or statement based on what one has noticed or observed.

   Synonyms: opinion, pronouncement

9. the condition of being observed.

10. Navigation.

    1. the measurement of the altitude or azimuth of a heavenly body for navigational purposes.

    2. the information obtained by such a measurement.

11. Obsolete.,  observance, as of the law.

observation

/ ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of observing or the state of being observed

2. a comment or remark

3. detailed examination of phenomena prior to analysis, diagnosis, or interpretation

   the patient was under observation

4. the facts learned from observing

5. an obsolete word for observance

6. nautical

   1. a sight taken with an instrument to determine the position of an observer relative to that of a given heavenly body

   2. the data so taken

Other Word Forms

• nonobservation noun
• preobservation noun
• reobservation noun
• self-observation noun
• observational adjective
• observationally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of observation¹

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

Synonym Study

See remark.

Example Sentences

At the heart of the discussions in Bremen was the European Resilience from Space programme, which includes Earth observation, navigation and telecommunications.

Read more on Barron's

“How far are you going?” passengers asked each other over and over in the Superliner’s observation lounge.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Using X-ray observations from the XMM-Newton space telescope, DiKerby identified a pulsar wind nebula -- an expanding region filled with energetic electrons and particles receiving energy from a pulsar.

Read more on Science Daily

Named for her younger sister, the touching “Kimberly” is based on their childhood observation of a barn lightning strike and flooding.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In a press release, it noted that the court's decision came after a year-long observation period "during which the court's orders were systematically disregarded by the parents".

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• conclusion 
• consideration 
• examination 
• experience 
• information 
• inspection 
• investigation 
• knowledge 
• measurement 
• note 
• perception 
• remark 
• research 
• review 
• study 
• surveillance 
• view