Empiric \Em*pir"ic\, Empirical \Em*pir"ic*al\, a.
1. Pertaining to, or founded upon, experiment or experience;
depending upon the observation of phenomena; versed in
experiments.
[1913 Webster]
In philosophical language, the term empirical means simply what belongs to or is the product of experience or observation. --Sir W. Hamilton. [1913 Webster]
The village carpenter . . . lays out his work by empirical rules learnt in his apprenticeship. --H. Spencer. [1913 Webster]
2. Depending upon experience or observation alone, without due regard to science and theory; -- said especially of medical practice, remedies, etc.; wanting in science and deep insight; as, empiric skill, remedies. [1913 Webster]
Empirical formula. (Chem.) See under Formula.
Syn: See Transcendental. [1913 Webster]
empirical
adj
1: derived from experiment and observation rather than
theory; "an empirical basis for an ethical theory";
"empirical laws"; "empirical data"; "an empirical
treatment of a disease about which little is known" [syn:
empirical, empiric] [ant: theoretic, theoretical]
2: relying on medical quackery; "empiric treatment" [syn:
empiric, empirical]
65 Moby Thesaurus words for "empirical": Cyrenaic, Eleatic, Epicurean, Megarian, Stoic, animist, animistic, atomistic, cosmotheistic, cut-and-try, eclectic, eudaemonistic, existential, experiential, experimental, factual, hedonic, hedonist, hedonistic, heuristic, hit-or-miss, humanist, humanistic, idealistic, instrumentalist, materialistic, mechanistic, metaphysical, monistic, naturalistic, nominalist, observed, panlogistical, pantheistic, pilot, positivist, positivistic, practical, pragmatic, pragmatist, probationary, probative, probatory, proving, provisional, rationalistic, realist, realistic, scholastic, sensationalistic, syncretistic, tentative, test, testing, theistic, transcendentalist, transcendentalistic, trial, trial-and-error, trying, utilitarian, verificatory, vitalistic, voluntarist, voluntaristic
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