Empirical
/ɪmˈpɪrɪkəl/
Definitions
Derived from or guided by experience or experiment; relying on observation rather than theory.
/ɪmˈpɪrɪkəl/
Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.
The scientist conducted an empirical study to test the hypothesis.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're trying to figure out the best route to school. Instead of just guessing, you actually try different routes and see which one takes the least time. That's like being empirical – you base your decisions on what you see and experience!
👶 For kids: If you learn something by doing it and seeing what happens, that's empirical!
More Examples
The conclusion was supported by empirical data.
Empirical evidence suggests a link between diet and health.
How It's Used
"The research was based on empirical evidence collected through numerous experiments."
"Empirical philosophy emphasizes the importance of sensory experience in acquiring knowledge."
"The empirical distribution closely matched the theoretical distribution."
Idioms & expressions
empirical rule
A statistical rule stating that for a normal distribution, almost all data will fall within three standard deviations of the mean.
"The empirical rule helps to quickly estimate the probability of data falling within a certain range in a normal distribution."
From Greek *empeirikos* (experienced), derived from *empeiria* (experience). It entered English in the 17th century, initially referring to medical practice based on observation and experience.
The word's use grew in popularity with the rise of scientific methods in the 17th and 18th centuries, emphasizing observation and experimentation as key tools for understanding the world.
Memory tip
Think of a scientist carefully observing an experiment. The scientist is gathering *empirical* data.
Word Origin
"experience"