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Related Questions
ladjective
1.
derived from or guided by experience or experiment.
2.
depending upon experience or observation alone, without using scientific method or theory, especially as in medicine.
3.
provable or verifiable by experience or experiment.
Related forms
em·pir·i·cal·ly, adverb
em·pir·i·cal·ness, noun
an·ti·em·pir·i·cal, adjective
an·ti·em·pir·i·cal·ly, adverb
non·em·pir·i·cal, adjective
EXPANDnon·em·pir·i·cal·ly, adverb
o·ver·em·pir·i·cal, adjective
o·ver·em·pir·i·cal·ly, adverb
sem·i·em·pir·i·cal, adjective
sem·i·em·pir·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·em·pir·i·cal, adjective
un·em·pir·i·cal·ly, adverb
COLLAPSESynonyms
1, 2. practical, firsthand, pragmatic.
1, 2. practical, firsthand, pragmatic.
Antonyms
1, 2. secondhand, theoretical.
1, 2. secondhand, theoretical.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Empirical
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is august. Does it mean:
| inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur; majestic |
| to weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value; to make thin, slender or fine |
Example Sentences
- He writes in a hardy, unpretentious style that is more empirical than introspective.
- The empirical evidence that global warming does exist is blinding.
- There's no empirical study that's ever been done that shows that punitive damages have any constructive function.
Collins
World English Dictionary
| empirical (ɛmˈpɪrɪkəl) | |
| —adj | |
| 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 |
| a. a priori Compare a posteriori (of knowledge) derived from experience rather than by logic from first principles | |
| b. analytic Compare synthetic (of a proposition) subject, at least theoretically, to verification | |
| 4. | of or relating to medical quackery |
| —n | |
| 5. | statistics Compare mathematical probability See also posterior probability the posterior probability of an event derived on the basis of its observed frequency in a sample |
| em'pirically | |
| —adv | |
| em'piricalness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
empirical
1560s, from L. empiricus, from Gk. empeirikos "experienced," from empeiria "experience," from empeiros "skilled," from en- "in" + peira "trial, experiment." Originally a school of ancient physicians who based their practice on experience rather than theory.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
empirical em·pir·i·cal (ěm-pēr'ĭ-kəl)
adj.
Relying on or derived from observation or experiment.
Verifiable or provable by means of observation or experiment.
Of or being a philosophy of medicine emphasizing practical experience and observation over scientific theory.
em·pir'i·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
empirical  (ěm-pîr'ĭ-kəl) Pronunciation Key
Relying on or derived from observation or experiment. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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