Definition of EMPIRICAL (original) (raw)
1
: originating in or based on observation or experience
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
Did you know?
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
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, there is empirical evidence showing that the 2018 tariffs on steel and aluminum did raise prices, Won Sohn said, noting a 2020 Federal Reserve study that found an increase in producer prices, which eventually were passed along to consumers. —Alicia Wallace, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025 On the one side stood religious fundamentalism with its insistence on a literal reading of scripture and submission to institutional authority; on the other stood scientific naturalism with its insistence that only empirical methods were valid routes to knowledge. —Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 29 Jan. 2025 Sweeping changes to companies DEI efforts impact local businesses 02:06 Corporate DEI programs aren't altruistic, experts emphasize, pointing to at least some empirical evidence showing that such efforts can help companies adapt to change, support innovation and even boost the bottom line. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2025 Dirty work is often assumed to be unenlightened work, but wildland firefighters have a unique empirical understanding of natural forces. —M. R. O’Connor, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for empirical 
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of empirical was in 1576
Dictionary Entries Near empirical
Cite this Entry
“Empirical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empirical. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 6 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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