NONEMPIRICAL Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

nonempirical

adjective

Definition of nonempirical

as in theoretical

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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 nonempirical The enforcement of such nonempirical standards as taste and judgment implies a kind of cultural and aesthetic hierarchy that Silicon Valley’s ruling class embraces ruthlessly but will never admit to countenancing. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 20 Oct. 2019 Each story represents a fresh challenge of how to say things in a nonempirical way. — Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 24 June 2018

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonempirical

Adjective

For now, the research work establishes a theoretical possibility under restrictive conditions, not evidence that any black hole has ever been divided into two.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
Such scenarios may become more common as militaries continue to deploy a once-theoretical technology — AI-assisted or autonomous weapons, capable of making both targeting and launch decisions on their own — on real battlefields around the globe.

— Kylie Jones, Vox, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of theoretical

Adjective

In 2024 Max Read, director of civic innovation for the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, identified seven such alleged outlets.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Officers were at the Walmart to respond to a call about an alleged shoplifting and encountered two people with a child fleeing from the store into a vehicle, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said at the time of the June 14 incident.

— Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of alleged

Adjective

Amazon has a hypothetical $50 billion chip business and can offer a roadmap to immense profitability.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2026
And there is still a hypothetical risk, election experts say, that the President could do something new and outlandishly lawless on or close to Election Day.

— Barton Gellman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of hypothetical

Adjective

Under the conceptual arrangement, the city would own the property and oversee street construction, while the district would participate financially and construct its own access drives connecting to the new street.

— Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
The Staten Island hip-hop titans conceived of the album as a conceptual artwork, a protest against the cheapening of music in the age of widespread piracy.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of conceptual

Adjective

Those concerns stretch across the realities of AI’s growth today and more speculative possibilities raised by some technologists and whistle-blowers.

— Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Yet, as in many speculative markets, sophisticated participants often have access to better information, stronger analytical tools and more advanced risk-management techniques than retail participants, giving them an informational edge.

— Aneri Jambusaria, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of speculative

Adjective

Still, telehealth platforms marketing GLP-1s for addiction trouble some experts, who say this could cause fragmented care and potentially inappropriate prescriptions as researchers are still working to understand and vet the unproven treatments.

— Ed Silverman, STAT, 22 Oct. 2026
Before the defense initiative, the bank had moved away from taking startup stakes, which can be relatively risky bets on unproven technologies.

— Hugh Son, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of unproven

Adjective

That is sparking a whole industry that markets other peptides — largely unproved and untested — that are said to increase muscle growth, speed recovery and fight aging.

— Jonathan Fahey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
But Starship still must demonstrate multiple unproved capabilities that are crucial to NASA’s plans—such as the in-space refueling, via multiple launches, that’s required for sending the vehicle out of low-Earth orbit to the moon.

— Lee Billings, Scientific American, 29 May 2026

Definition of unproved

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“Nonempirical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonempirical. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of nonempirical

adjective

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