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Showing results for observational. Search instead for observationally.
Synonyms

observational

American  
[ob-zur-vey-shuh-nl] / ˌɒb zɜrˈveɪ ʃə nl /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or founded on observation, especially founded on observation rather than experiment.

Other Word Forms

  • nonobservational adjective
  • observationally adverb
  • preobservational adjective

Etymology

Origin of observational

First recorded in 1825–35; observation + -al 1

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.

"The Earth’s energy imbalance has increased since its observational record began in 1960, particularly in the past 20 years. It reached a new high in 2025."

From Barron's

He added while police officers had "observational views" based on their lines of inquiry, they "simply don't have the expertise" of psychiatrists.

From BBC

"We filter out known natural influences in the observational data, so that the 'noise' is reduced, making the underlying long-term warming signal more clearly visible," Foster added.

From Science Daily

Those possible long-term benefits come from observational follow-up periods after the original trials ended.

From Science Daily

She lost her sight aged 17, five years ago, and says her more observational tics, such as focusing on peoples' physical appearances, have since lessened.

From BBC

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.