empirical

[ em-pir-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. derived from or guided by direct experience or by experiment, rather than abstract principles or theory:

   Empirical evidence of changes in kelp consumption was gathered by measuring the bite marks in seaweed fronds.

   Synonyms: pragmatic, firsthand, practical

   Antonyms: theoretical, secondhand

2. depending upon experience or observation alone, without using scientific method or theory, and hence sometimes insufficiently authoritative, especially as in medicine:

   That is nothing but an empirical conclusion with no regard for the laws of thermodynamics.

   Synonyms: pragmatic, firsthand, practical

   Antonyms: theoretical, secondhand

3. provable or verifiable by experience or experiment, as scientific laws:

   Theoretical physics is criticized for producing complex concepts that are mathematical, not empirical.

empirical

/ ɛmˈpɪrɪkəl /

adjective

1. derived from or relating to experiment and observation rather than theory
2. (of medical treatment) based on practical experience rather than scientific proof
3. philosophy
   1. (of knowledge) derived from experience rather than by logic from first principles Compare a priori a posteriori
   2. (of a proposition) subject, at least theoretically, to verification Compare analytic synthetic
4. of or relating to medical quackery

noun

1. statistics the posterior probability of an event derived on the basis of its observed frequency in a sample Compare mathematical probability See also posterior probability

empirical

/ ĕm-pîr′ĭ-kəl /

1. Relying on or derived from observation or experiment.

Derived Forms

• emˈpiricalness, noun
• emˈpirically, adverb

Other Words From

• em·pir·i·cal·ly adverb
• em·pir·i·cal·ness noun
• an·ti·em·pir·i·cal adjective
• non·em·pir·i·cal adjective
• o·ver·em·pir·i·cal adjective
• sem·i·em·pir·i·cal adjective
• un·em·pir·i·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of empirical¹

First recorded in 1560–70; empiric + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Scientific history also shows that as empirical knowledge increases, we tend to converge on a shared explanation.

From Nautilus

As a philosopher who focuses on the study of animal cognition, I examine both empirical and theoretical work to answer these types of questions.

From Singularity Hub 

According to Raposo, it “called the attention of many scientists working in the area to the use of more powerful and modern statistical techniques of empirical data analysis of animal movement.”

From Quanta Magazine

For economists who already felt confident in the theoretical arguments against rent control, research like Diamond’s provides empirical evidence that essentially tells the same story.

From Freakonomics

So Bob, you and your fellow C-POST researchers try to use empirical means, data analysis — when available — to understand foreign policy.

From Freakonomics

How do archaeologists wrap an empirical mind around capturing history?

From The Daily Beast

Overall, the weight of the empirical evidence supports these essentially conservative arguments for the minimum wage.

From The Daily Beast

In all, Schwitzgebel thinks that this study has been an important step forward in empirical research of morality.

From The Daily Beast

There is little empirical data on how an early marriage affects young men.

From The Daily Beast

No empirical data support his claim that the birth of a baby with Down syndrome makes the world—or the baby—unhappier.

From The Daily Beast

It is at best an empirical test and must be interpreted in the light of clinical symptoms.

From Project Gutenberg

So long as bridge building was an empirical art, great waste of material was unavoidable.

From Project Gutenberg

The margin of uncertainty which must be met by empirical allowances on the side of safety has been steadily diminished.

From Project Gutenberg

Waddell (De Pontibus) gives the following convenient empirical relations.

From Project Gutenberg

Nor do I think they would have learnt much of the art from Mr. Bradlaugh, except in an empirical way.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• experimental
• factual
• observational