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

1. Relying on or derived from observation or experiment.

Other Word Forms

• empiricalness noun
• empirically adverb
• antiempirical adjective
• nonempirical adjective
• overempirical adjective
• semiempirical adjective
• unempirical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of empirical¹

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

Example Sentences

Like other authoritarians and demagogues, he does not care about empirical reality.

From Salon

Now, a new ProPublica data analysis adds empirical weight to the mounting evidence that abortion bans have made the common experience of miscarriage — which occurs in up to 30% of pregnancies — far more dangerous.

From Salon

While Fishkin’s book takes account of the major issues in political philosophy and political science that have been debated in recent decades, what’s most compelling about it are his empirical results.

From Salon

In each case, debates over empirical facts have been entangled with identity, religion, economics, and power, creating fault lines that persist across countries and generations.

From Salon

In “American Mirage,” she cites empirical evidence suggesting a strong correlation between local “Shark Tank” viewership and queries at Small Business Administration centers.

From Salon

Related Words

• experimental 
• factual 
• observational