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empirical
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English
Etymology
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA(key): /ɪmˈpɪɹɪkəl/, /ɛmˈpɪɹɪkəl/
- Hyphenation: em‧pi‧ri‧cal
Adjective
empirical (comparative more empirical, superlative most empirical)
- Pertaining to or based on experience, as opposed to theory.
- Antonym: theoretical
- The lengths were calculated according to the empirical rules of the trade.
- For some presumptive diagnoses, empirical antibiotic therapy begins immediately, whereas specific antibiotic therapy must await the results of the culture and sensitivity test.
- 1861, Herbert Spencer, Education:
- The village carpenter […] lays out his work by empirical rules learnt in his apprenticeship.
- Pertaining to, derived from, or testable by observations made using the physical senses or using instruments which extend the senses.
- (philosophy of science) Verifiable by means of scientific experimentation.
- Antonyms: anecdotal, theoretical
- demonstrable with empirical evidence
Synonyms
Antonyms
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
pertaining to or based on experience
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pertaining to, derived from, or testable by observations
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verifiable by means of scientific experimentation
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Noun
empirical (plural empiricals)
- A measurement or result achieved by empirical means.
See also
Further reading
- “empirical”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “empirical”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
- “empirical”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- "empirical" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 115.
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