empiricism

noun

em·​pir·​i·​cism im-ˈpir-ə-ˌsi-zəm How to pronounce empiricism (audio)
em-
1
a
: a former school of medical practice founded on experience without the aid of science or theory
2
a
: the practice of relying on observation and experiment especially in the natural sciences
b
: a tenet arrived at empirically
3
: a theory that all knowledge originates in experience
empiricist noun

Examples of empiricism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That's why empiricism was invented in the first place, and why it's been so spectacularly successful over the last few centuries. Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2012 In short, empiricism dominated philosophy and psychology until the second half of the 20th century, when nativist-friendly thinkers such as Noam Chomsky swung the pendulum back toward Plato. Jacob Beck, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2023 The best approach to achieve this is to treat your project as a scientific experiment - to employ rationality and empiricism in the form of strategizing, running validation tests, and evaluating your results through KPIs in order to achieve your goals. Abdo Riani, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023 Why bother with empiricism at all? Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2020 But not everyone agrees with this emerging consensus, and a new wave of empiricism has emerged over the past decade. Jacob Beck, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2023 An almost mystical entity, this incomprehensibly enormous number straddles the line between empiricism and belief. Adrienne Bernhard, Popular Mechanics, 27 Feb. 2023 Homeopathy smacked down for misleading claims When magic and empiricism meet in Uganda children get their teeth removed with a sharpened bicycle spoke ? Kyle Hill, Discover Magazine, 7 July 2013 The Times, in Naureckas’s portrayal, found Silver’s empiricism a threat to its own -- and journalism’s own -- solipsistic worldview. George Johnson, Discover Magazine, 29 July 2013

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'empiricism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

empiric + -ism

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of empiricism was in 1658

Dictionary Entries Near empiricism

Cite this Entry

“Empiricism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empiricism. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

empiricism

noun
em·​pir·​i·​cism im-ˈpir-ə-ˌsiz-əm How to pronounce empiricism (audio)
em-
1
: the practice of relying on observation and experiment in the natural sciences
2
: a theory that knowledge begins with experience
empiricist noun or adjective

Medical Definition

empiricism

noun
em·​pir·​i·​cism im-ˈpir-ə-ˌsiz-əm, em- How to pronounce empiricism (audio)
1
a
: a former school of medical practice based on the teachings of the empirics
b
2
: the practice of relying on observation and experiment especially in the natural sciences

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