operationalism

Also op·er·a·tion·ism

[op-uh-rey-shuh-nl-iz-uhm]

noun

Philosophy.

1. the doctrine that the meaning of a scientific term, concept, or proposition consists of the operation or operations performed in defining or demonstrating it.

operationalism

/ ˌɒpəˈreɪʃənəˌlɪzəm, ˌɒpəˈreɪʃəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. philosophy the theory that scientific terms are defined by the experimental operations which determine their applicability

Other Word Forms

• operationalistic adjective
• operationalist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of operationalism¹

First recorded in 1930–35; operational + -ism