[syn: empiric, empirical]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
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]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
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]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
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