SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
empirical
adjective
Based on observation or experience rather than theory alone.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Based on observation
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topExperimental describes one way of obtaining empirical evidence; observation need not involve an experiment.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See empirical in use
The team sought empirical evidence by observing how visitors used the room.
A campus group wanted to change the evening shuttle route. Its empirical evidence came from counts of passengers boarding at each stop during a trial week.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license