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

This is the sort of observation that makes Ms. Ypi, a professor of political theory at the London School of Economics, unpopular with many present-day Albanians.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

To interpret any astronomical observation, researchers rely on models that describe what different types of objects should look like.

Read more on Science Daily

The researchers emphasized that these personality labels reflect human observations and that it remains unclear whether wolf-derived DNA directly influences these traits.

Read more on Science Daily

Below are some of Stoppard most important plays, with observations from Times critics:

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This observation — using a special kind of instrument — allowed astronomers to capture the initial shape of the explosion and analyse how it evolves in later stages.

Read more on Space Scoop

Related Words

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