observation
an act or instance of noticing or perceiving.
an act or instance of regarding attentively or watching.
the faculty or habit of observing or noticing.
notice: to escape a person's observation.
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.
the information or record secured by such an act.
something that is learned in the course of observing things: My observation is that such clouds mean a storm.
a remark, comment, or statement based on what one has noticed or observed.
the condition of being observed.
Navigation.
the measurement of the altitude or azimuth of a heavenly body for navigational purposes.
the information obtained by such a measurement.
Obsolete. observance, as of the law.
Origin of observation
1synonym study For observation
Other words for observation
Other words from observation
- non·ob·ser·va·tion, noun
- pre·ob·ser·va·tion, noun
- re·ob·ser·va·tion, noun
- self-ob·ser·va·tion, noun
Words that may be confused with observation
- observance, observation
Words Nearby observation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use observation in a sentence
Decision science expert Annie Duke and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman suggest this may be because data-native individuals are adept at assembling disparate observations and facts into a credible narrative.
Averill on the July 23 Zoom call echoed Pridgen’s observations about the pandemic’s impact.
Coronavirus exacerbates disparities for Floridians with HIV/AIDS | Michael K. Lavers | August 19, 2020 | Washington BladeSubstantiating a record involves an international committee of atmospheric scientists poring over the original observations, the equipment used to make it and the calibration practices.
Death Valley hits 130° F, the hottest recorded temperature on Earth since 1931 | Carolyn Gramling | August 17, 2020 | Science NewsThose observations revealed prominent dips in particular wavelengths of ultraviolet sunlight that had been absorbed by the ozone, Youngblood, Arney and colleagues report online August 6 in the Astronomical Journal.
Hubble watched a lunar eclipse to see Earth from an alien’s perspective | Maria Temming | August 17, 2020 | Science NewsWhile he says their observations suggest some thin gaiters might be problematic, “the press coverage has careened out of control” for a study testing a measuring technique and that looked at just one mask of each type.
4 reasons you shouldn’t trash your neck gaiter based on the new mask study | Jonathan Lambert | August 12, 2020 | Science News
Barack Obama was not the first Liberal to make this observation.
Now, a new observation seems to show that black holes also behave according to their place in the cosmic web.
In Alabama, an arrested 19-year-old shoplifter got gangrene and died naked on the floor of a “medical observation cell.”
Here’s a Reform Even the Koch Brothers and George Soros Can Agree On | Tina Brown | November 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThird, the virus could not be found in sputum, further supporting the clear observation that airborne spread does not occur.
Did One Liberian Prostitute Give Ebola to Eight Soldiers? | Kent Sepkowitz | October 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTScientific observation, rather than being a place of respite from fear, itself has become something else to rail against.
Did One Liberian Prostitute Give Ebola to Eight Soldiers? | Kent Sepkowitz | October 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWith Bacon, experientia does not always mean observation; and may mean either experience or experiment.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II) | Henry Osborn TaylorA delightful instance of this fell under my own observation, as I was walking on Hampstead Heath.
Children's Ways | James SullyHe, therefore, did as he said; made no further observation, but conducted himself to his young friend with grave distance.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterImpersonation may be more easily achieved intellectually, requiring only keen observation and the power of imitation.
Expressive Voice Culture | Jessie Eldridge SouthwickBut the observation he thoughtlessly uttered in French seemed to excite the peasant's attention.
British Dictionary definitions for observation
/ (ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃən) /
the act of observing or the state of being observed
a comment or remark
detailed examination of phenomena prior to analysis, diagnosis, or interpretation: the patient was under observation
the facts learned from observing
an obsolete word for observance
nautical
a sight taken with an instrument to determine the position of an observer relative to that of a given heavenly body
the data so taken
Derived forms of observation
- observational, adjective
- observationally, adverb
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
Browse