empirical - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Adjective
empirical (comparative more empirical, superlative most empirical)
- Pertaining to or based on experience, as opposed to theory.
- ✤ Antonym: theoretical
- ✤ The lengths were calculated according to the empirical rules of the trade.
- ✤ For some presumptive diagnoses, empirical antibiotic therapy begins immediately, whereas specific antibiotic therapy must await the results of the culture and sensitivity test.
- ✤ The village carpenter […] lays out his work by empirical rules learnt in his apprenticeship.1
- Pertaining to, derived from, or testable by observations made using the physical senses or using instruments which extend the senses.
- (philosophy of science) Verifiable by means of scientific experimentation.
- ✤ Antonyms: anecdotal, theoretical
- ✤ demonstrable with empirical evidence
Noun
empirical (plural empiricals)
- A measurement or result achieved by empirical means.
Etymology
From empiric + -al.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA: /ɪmˈpɪɹɪkəl/, /ɛmˈpɪɹɪkəl/
- Audio (US): 🔊
- Hyphenation: em‧pi‧ri‧cal
Printed 2026-08-31.
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Footnotes
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1861, Herbert Spencer, Education: ↩