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

But there is little evidence to suggest that it would spur a sustained cycle of rising prices across the economy, an observation backed up by economic models, she added.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

This conclusion was supported by real-world observations of "unprecedented" coral death across tropical reefs since the first comprehensive assessment of tipping points science was published in 2023, the authors said.

Read more on Barron's

The tail is much dimmer than the coma, so it does not appear in the current images, but it could become visible in future observations as 3I/ATLAS heats up and sheds more ice.

Read more on Science Daily

While further observations of the 2024 YR4's path have shown that the asteroid will not collide with the Earth, scientists think there is still a chance it could hit the Moon.

Read more on Space Scoop

Recent infrared observations by the James Webb Space Telescope revealed many monster galaxies lurking in the early Universe.

Read more on Space Scoop

Related Words

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