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Today’s Word

Part of Speech

adjective

Definition

1. Originating in or based on observation or experience.
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.

History

When empirical first appeared as an adjective in English, it meant simply “in the manner of an empiric.” An empiric was a member of an ancient sect of doctors who practiced medicine based exclusively on experience, as contrasted with those who relied on theory or philosophy. The name empiric derives from Latin empiricus, itself from Greek empeirikos (“experienced”). It ultimately traces back to the verb peiran, meaning “to try, attempt, or experiment.”

~Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Synonyms

existential, experiential, observational

Antonyms

nonempirical, theoretical, theoretic

Usage and Examples

Here are a couple of examples:

• The empirical evidence showed that the virus was spreading exponentially.
• Our data is based on empirical evidence collected in numerous studies.