Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Relying on or derived from observation or experiment: empirical results that supported the hypothesis.
- adj. Verifiable or provable by means of observation or experiment: empirical laws.
- adj. Guided by practical experience and not theory, especially in medicine.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Pertaining to or derived from experience or experiments; depending upon or derived from the observation of phenomena.
- as a general proposition, from a narrow range of observation, without any warrant for its exactitude or for its wider validity.
- Pertaining to the medical practice of an empiric, in either of the medical senses of that word; hence, charlatanical; quackish.
Wiktionary
- adj. Pertaining to or based on experience.
- adj. Pertaining to, derived from, or testable by observations made using the physical senses or using instruments which extend the senses.
- adj. Verifiable by means of scientific experimentation.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. relying on medical quackery
- adj. derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
Examples
“To all knowledge obtained through the observation of facts and phenomena, the term empirical is properly applied.”
“Do you consider this a valid example of what you call empirical evidence?”
“This is what we call empirical information, on the ground.”
“This is what we call empirical information on the ground.”
“The definition of "empirical" is that which is directly observed or perceived through our sensory equipment.”
“What he didn't say: "The Tealiban/Teatards are bringing such wonderful, fact-based rational analyses and substantive arguments steeped in empirical evidence to the table, that we just can't help but consider everything they have to say and allow it to influence our decision-making.”
“It is true that religions are not belief systems grounded in empirical results.”
“Unfortunately, these unrealistic assumptions not only are used in empirical models, but also get into the mental models of policy makers.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Further to Andrew Ferguson on Behavioral Economics
“David Card and Alan Krueger have done lots of work in empirical labor economics based on natural experiment methodology.”
“Aaron, it is always worth noting that one is more likely to hear a point of view rooted in empirical thinking, regarding baseball player performance, at closing time in a saloon, than one is likely to hear an opinion regarding economics or politics, that is similarly rooted in empirical thinking, among supposedly sober pundits on the internet or cable t.v..”
Matthew Yglesias » The Soon-to-Change Unemployment Narrative
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘empirical’.
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Academic Vocabulary
Use these and get promoted
abandon, abandonment, abnormally, abstract, abstraction, abstractly, abstracts, academia, academic, academically, academics, academies and 3092 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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Keywords, by Raymond Williams
From a book about life and death.
aesthetic, alienation, art, behaviour, bourgeois, bureaucracy, capitalism, career, charity, city, civilization, class and 99 more...
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cicatrix
scar tissue
minatory, naira, Cluniac, embracive, prolix, hierophant, timorous, adduce, veracious, dysphoric, sang-froid, vitiate and 414 more...
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philosophical adjectives
Common and not-so-common adjectives found while studying philosophy.
dialectic, ontological, logical, theological, empirical, moral, ethical, metaphysical, atheistic, synthetic, monistic, dualistic and 13 more...
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comablack's list
conflate
trenchmouth
selfimproved
peremptory
ellipse
diffuse
paean
cashmere
synchroneity
famine
expunge
deft
languor
od...antidisestablishm..., umbrageous, empirical, adumbrate, lilt, kerfuffle, hippopotomonstros..., exegesis, bajulate, trenchmouth, hegemony, cirrhosis and 1 more...
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method
empirical, evidence, measurable, specific, quantifiable, principle, tact, foo, betwixt, axiom, maxim, uncertainty and 5 more...
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humpty's list
detrimental, hedonism, exonerate, extemporaneous, labyrinth, diffidence, brazen, celerity, alacrity, bigotry, phantasmagorical, sardonic and 14 more...
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February 2012
filiopietistic, bifurcate, enclave, wedlock, decadent, unduly, defunct, lapel, tumescent, capitulation, leaden, scintilla and 83 more...
kingparton Knowledge by revelation is more like empirical than rational knowledge.
C.S. Lewis, "Bulverism" Nov 23, 2011