observation
Americannoun
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an act or instance of noticing or perceiving.
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an act or instance of regarding attentively or watching.
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the faculty or habit of observing or noticing.
- Synonyms:
- attention
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notice.
to escape a person's observation.
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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.
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the information or record secured by such an act.
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something that is learned in the course of observing things.
My observation is that such clouds mean a storm.
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a remark, comment, or statement based on what one has noticed or observed.
- Synonyms:
- opinion, pronouncement
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the condition of being observed.
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Navigation.
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the measurement of the altitude or azimuth of a heavenly body for navigational purposes.
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the information obtained by such a measurement.
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Obsolete. observance, as of the law.
noun
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the act of observing or the state of being observed
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a comment or remark
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detailed examination of phenomena prior to analysis, diagnosis, or interpretation
the patient was under observation
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the facts learned from observing
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an obsolete word for observance
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nautical
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a sight taken with an instrument to determine the position of an observer relative to that of a given heavenly body
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the data so taken
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Related Words
See remark.
Other Word Forms
- nonobservation noun
- observational adjective
- observationally adverb
- preobservation noun
- reobservation noun
- self-observation noun
Etymology
Origin of observation
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
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.
An enduring military presence came to Yonaguni in 2016 with a “coastal observation unit.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
His observation comes amid predictions that capital-intensity metrics will outstrip those from the dot-com era, as noted by Morgan Stanley analyst Todd Castagno last month.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
Of particular concern may be Kaneva’s observation that California is particularly vulnerable as the most exposed region in the U.S.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
The work continues a long legacy of Carnegie Science involvement with JWST, dating back to the telescope's early development and extending through multiple observation cycles.
From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026
We rushed inside, bought tickets, and rode the elevator up to the observation deck.
From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman
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.
