empirical

adjective

em·​pir·​i·​cal im-ˈpir-i-kəl 

em-

variants or less commonly empiric

im-ˈpir-ik 

1

: originating in or based on observation or experience

empirical data

2

: relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory

an empirical basis for the theory

3

: capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment

empirical laws

4

: of or relating to empiricism

Did you know?

Empirical Has Roots in Latin and Greek

When empirical first appeared as an adjective in English, it meant simply “in the manner of an empiric.” In the ancient world, empirics were members of a sect of doctors who practiced medicine using treatments observed to be clinically effective, rather than treatments based on theoretical principles. This sounds all fine and good to a modern reader, but empirics were in direct opposition to Galen, the 2nd century Greek physician whose theories and practices (including the theory of bodily humors) dominated medicine in Europe from the Middle Ages until the mid-17th century. As the underdogs in this rivalry, empirics took some reputational hits, evidenced by the use of empiric to refer to someone who disregards or deviates from the rules of science or accepted practice; to be called an empiric was sometimes like being called a quack or charlatan. Empirical can still be used critically to describe ideas and practices that rely on experience or observation alone and without due regard for system or theory. But, perhaps in a bit of a case of “the Empirics strike back,” empirical more often keeps its narrower sense, and is used positively to describe evidence and information grounded in observation and experience, or capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment.

Synonyms

• existential
• experiential
• experimental
• objective
• observational

Examples of empirical in a Sentence

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

They collected plenty of empirical data from their experiments.

guidelines for raising children that are based on empirical evidence

Recent Examples on the Web

So having empirical evidence of a method that works, even in just some situations, is encouraging. —Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024

In this case, our empirical look at how our averages are operating is reassuring us that things are working as intended. —G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2024

My latest research, published in the Industrial & Labor Relations Review, provides a unique and empirical picture of travel patterns at key points during the pandemic. —London School Of Economics, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024

Experts at Wharton and elsewhere are winners of the 2024 Jacobs Levy Center Best Paper prize for an empirical study that found the common latent risk factors across stocks, bonds, and options. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

empiric "of physicians in ancient Greece and Rome holding that treatment should be based on observation rather than theory" (going back to Middle English emperic, borrowed from early Medieval Latin empīricus, borrowed from Greek empeirikós, "based on observation (of medical treatment), experienced") + -al entry 1 — more at empiric

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing empirical

• empirical formula

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Kids Definition

empirical

adjective

em·​pir·​i·​cal im-ˈpir-i-kəl 

em-

variants also empiric

-ˈpir-ik 

1

: relying on experience or observation usually without regard for a system and theory

empirical medicine

2

: based on observation or experience

empirical data

3

: capable of being proved or disproved by observation or experiment

empirical laws

empirically

-ˈpir-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

empirical

adjective

em·​pir·​i·​cal -i-kəl 

variants also empiric

-ik 

1

archaic

a

: following or used in the practice of the empirics compare rational sense 2

b

: being or befitting a quack or charlatan

2

: 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

3

: capable of being confirmed, verified, or disproved by observation or experiment

empirical statements or laws

empirically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb