empirical

adjective em·pir·i·cal \im-ˈpir-i-kəl\

: based on testing or experience

Full Definition of EMPIRICAL

: originating in or based on observation or experience <empirical data>

: relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory <an empirical basis for the theory>

: capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment <empirical laws>

: of or relating to empiricism

— em·pir·i·cal·ly \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See empirical defined for English-language learners

See empirical defined for kids

Variants of EMPIRICAL

em·pir·i·cal also em·pir·ic \-ik\

Examples of EMPIRICAL

Eventually, access to electron microscopes and X-ray diffraction technology provided the necessary empirical evidence to test the hypotheses, and the jigsaw pieces began to fall into place. —Gail Nichols, Ceramics Monthly, February 2002
No religion, new or old, is subject to empirical proof, so what we have is a contest between faiths. —Harvey Cox, Atlantic, March 1999
[+]more [-]hide

Origin of EMPIRICAL

(see empiric)

First Known Use: 1569

Related to EMPIRICAL

Synonyms: existential, experiential, experimental, objective, observational

Antonyms: nonempirical, theoretical (also theoretic), unempirical

Medical Dictionary

empirical

adjective em·pir·i·cal \-i-kəl\

Medical Definition of EMPIRICAL

archaic a : following or used in the practice of the empirics—compare rational 2 b : being or befitting a quack or charlatan

: originating in or based on observation or experiment <much medical lore had had an empirical origin…centuries of trial-and-error gropings after remedies—R. H. Shryock>

: capable of being confirmed, verified, or disproved by observation or experiment <empirical statements or laws>

—em·pir·i·cal·ly \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb