empirical

adjective

im-ˈpir-i-kəl How to pronounce empirical (audio)
variants also empiric
Definition of empiricalnext
1
as in observational
based on observation or experience guidelines for raising children that are based on empirical evidence

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in verifiable
capable of being proven as true or real a philosopher who does not regard "God exists" as an empirical statement

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of empirical The surge also did considerable damage to the buildings within the surge zone, 85% of which were residential buildings, according to New York University's Furman Center, an empirical research institution. — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 July 2026 General Motors Anderson sees design and human ingenuity falling into three main epochs, beginning with thousands of years of empirical design that saw creators largely mimicking nature, building and testing models, and advancing from there—slowly, expensively, and narrowly focused. — IEEE Spectrum, 17 June 2026 Only 2 percent of investments have gone to circular businesses, according to estimates in the Circularity Gap Report Finance in 2025, the world’s first empirical study that quantified the financial streams to circular business models. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 2 June 2026 These results are the empirical fuel SkyDrive needs to advance its certification process with Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and, eventually, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). — Omar Kardoudi june 26, New Atlas, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for empirical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for empirical
  1. observational
  2. verifiable
  3. objective
  4. demonstrable
  5. experimental
  6. confirmable
  7. existential
  8. supportable
Adjective
  • That transition — from looking casually to carefully observing, first with powerful optics and then navigating with the naked eye — is what observational astronomy is all about.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 July 2026
  • Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, observational studies suggested that moderate alcohol consumption might offer cardiovascular benefits.
    — Emma Fenske, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of observational
Adjective
  • Counties investigate these cases, and officials acknowledge that fraud exists, but neither the state nor local property appraisers publish verifiable statewide fraud statistics.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2026
  • When deployed as a supporting layer, DLT can introduce a verifiable record that strengthens traceability across systems that were not originally designed to work together.
    — Maghnus Mareneck, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of verifiable
Adjective
  • An objective outsider can help challenge assumptions, ask difficult questions and provide a perspective that may be difficult to maintain from inside the situation.
    — Amy Powell, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • But the disagreement ultimately has less to do with objective criteria—such as the effects of climate change in Europe, which is warming twice as fast as the global average—than subjective questions about what constitutes an acceptable level of physical suffering and sacrifice.
    — Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Definition of objective
Adjective
  • America has witnessed a proliferation of voting rights groups with sound justification and demonstrable results, but there comes a point when there may be too much of a good thing.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026
  • Translate each core value into demonstrable behaviors, hiring criteria, decision-making frameworks and performance expectations.
    — Amanda Pascale, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of demonstrable
Adjective
  • To verify what was happening inside the material, the team combined several experimental techniques.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026
  • All three have released solo albums that further expand their palettes, moving into ambient (Vida), experimental (Stardrum), and singer/songwriter (Epstein) realms.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 3 July 2026
Definition of experimental
Adjective
  • Cekada is only the third person to be confirmed to lead the agency since the director's position was made confirmable in 2006.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 May 2026
  • Cekada is only the third person to be confirmed to lead the agency since the director’s position was made confirmable in 2006.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of confirmable
Adjective
  • For some longtime advocates, the fear is more than just existential.
    — Tamar Hallerman, AJC.com, 1 July 2026
  • Famous fashion dolls Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) head to the Real World and deal with existential crises while things go goofily awry for the plastic folks in Barbie Land.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of existential
Adjective
  • The output has to be supportable, reviewable and grounded in information that can actually survive scrutiny later.
    — Arun Ramakrishnan, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
  • Claims about artificial intelligence must be technically accurate, operationally supportable, and consistent with the company’s financial results.
    — Perrie M. Weiner, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of supportable

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Cite this Entry

“Empirical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empirical. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of empirical for Spanish Speakers

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