methodological

American  

[meth-uh-dl-oj-i-kuhl] / ˌmɛθ ə dlˈɒdʒ ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or following the system of methods, principles, and rules that regulate a given discipline.

   This chapter provides practical advice, case studies, and methodological instruction.

   In his Principia, Sir Isaac Newton laid the methodological foundation of modern scientific theory and practice.

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Other Word Forms

• methodologically adverb

Etymology

Origin of methodological

methodolog(y) ( def. ) + -ical ( def. )

Explanation

Use the adjective methodological when you want to describe something that relates to the methods and practices of a certain discipline. As a doctor, you should always follow best methodological practices. If a patient has a headache, don't treat him for a sore foot or vice versa. The roots of the adjective methodological can be broken into parts. Working backwards, -ical means "of or pertaining to," -ology means "branch of knowledge," and method is from both the Latin and Greek words methodus, meaning "a way of teaching or scientific inquiry." If you don't limit the variables, your research may have poor methodology. If you want to look at genes in blue-eyed people, but you study green-eyed people as well, you will have methodological problems.

Example Sentences

But because that number is built on a series of methodological judgment calls, they end up shaping the very economic reality they’re supposed to measure.

From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026

Other throwaways made it on the list thanks to Bieber’s gamesmanship or Billboard’s methodological quirks.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

The final takeaway, according to the researchers, is more methodological.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

The answer isn’t ideological blindness so much as methodological constraint.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

Natural experiments in any field, whether in ecology or human history, are inherently open to potential methodological criticisms.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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