empirical Hear it!

empirical Definition

em·piri·cal (em pir′i kəl)

adjective

  1. relying or based solely on experiment and observation rather than theory the empirical method
  2. relying or based on practical experience without reference to scientific principles an empirical remedy

Etymology: empiric + -al

empirical Related Forms
em·pir′i·cally adverb
empirical Synonyms

empirical

modif.

experiential, observational, practical; see experimental, observed 1.

empirical Finance Definition
Based upon analysis of data or experience rather than on deduction or speculation.
empirical Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • evidence: However, there is very little rigorous empirical evidence on the cos... .
  • investigation: Neural data analysis The brain is perhaps the most complex subject of empirical investigation in scientific history.
  • observation: It has no direct reference to any empirical observation.
  • finding: An explanation for the empirical findings may be found in two main strands of class analysis.
  • study: The empirical studies are likely to involve a panel data analysis based on a give data set.
  • formula: Empirical formulae can be for the total damping moment or for the components.

Modifying Another Word

  • purely: The law is purely empirical; it makes no attempt to explain the phenomenon.
  • largely: Current decision-making is largely empirical, and can lead to excessive conservatism.
  • entirely: His discovery was, as far as we can tell, entirely empirical: lots of trials and lots of errors led to it.
  • little: There is little empirical evidence to guide practitioners on this point.
  • only: Accepting ( or rejecting ) a naturalistic theory requires only empirical observation and analysis -- evidence that can be accepted on its own merits.
  • not: Evolution is not empirical science but is a method of comparison and of explanation by comparison.
empirical Quotes

It must be possible for an empirical system to be refuted by experience.

—Popper, Sir Karl Raimund

The grand aim of all science is to cover the greatest number of empirical facts by logical deduction from the smallest number of hypotheses or axioms.

—Einstein, Albert