empirically

American  

[em-pir-ik-lee] / ɛmˈpɪr ɪk li /

adverb

1. in a way that is based on or guided by experience or experiment.

   We hope that this study will form the basis for future empirically grounded research and policy analysis.

2. in a way that is provable or verifiable by experience or experiment.

   Can it be stated empirically that the Latino vote was the single biggest factor contributing to the candidate's victory?

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Other Word Forms

• antiempirically adverb
• nonempirically adverb
• overempirically adverb
• semiempirically adverb
• unempirically adverb

Etymology

Origin of empirically

empirical ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

And they empirically tested that theory, looking at the correlation of buy-the-dip versus the SG Trend index, which is the average return of the top 10 hedge funds running trend-following strategies.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 5, 2025

You must study it empirically, accounting for confounding variables and using rigorous methodology.

From Slate • Sep. 26, 2025

Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia, told Politico Vance's remarks were "insulting" and "just empirically not true".

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2025

Even Aristotle, who could be said to have launched literary criticism, set forth the precepts of tragedy by empirically studying the indelible examples of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024

Categories, functions, and meanings have to be ascertained empirically, by running little experiments such as substituting a phrase whose category you don’t know for one you do know and seeing whether the sentence still works.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker