observation
Americannoun
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an act or instance of noticing or perceiving.
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an act or instance of regarding attentively or watching.
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the faculty or habit of observing or noticing.
- Synonyms:
- attention
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notice.
to escape a person's observation.
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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.
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the information or record secured by such an act.
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something that is learned in the course of observing things.
My observation is that such clouds mean a storm.
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a remark, comment, or statement based on what one has noticed or observed.
- Synonyms:
- opinion, pronouncement
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the condition of being observed.
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Navigation.
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the measurement of the altitude or azimuth of a heavenly body for navigational purposes.
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the information obtained by such a measurement.
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Obsolete. observance, as of the law.
noun
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the act of observing or the state of being observed
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a comment or remark
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detailed examination of phenomena prior to analysis, diagnosis, or interpretation
the patient was under observation
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the facts learned from observing
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an obsolete word for observance
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nautical
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a sight taken with an instrument to determine the position of an observer relative to that of a given heavenly body
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the data so taken
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Related Words
See remark.
Other Word Forms
- nonobservation noun
- observational adjective
- observationally adverb
- preobservation noun
- reobservation noun
- self-observation noun
Etymology
Origin of observation
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
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.
They had submitted multiple proposals to observe such an event with Hubble, but timing these observations has proven extremely difficult, and previous attempts had not succeeded.
From Science Daily
The program incorporates advanced forecasting and weather observations into reservoir release decisions at Lake Mendocino.
From Los Angeles Times
Over the 15 hours before Molly was discovered, less than half - 44% - of the required observations were carried out, and some of those that did happen lasted just seconds, the inquest heard.
From BBC
All this is based on observations so obvious they’re hard to resist: War requires weaponry, the supply of oil is being choked, fear and uncertainty inflame the demand for gold.
For years, observations suggested that the gas inside the galaxy was rotating.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
