empirical

em·pir·i·cal

adj \-i-kəl\

Definition of EMPIRICAL

1

archaic a : following or used in the practice of the empirics—compare rational 2 b : being or befitting a quack or charlatan

2

: originating in or based on observation or experiment <much medical lore had had an empirical origin…centuries of trial-and-error gropings after remedies—R. H. Shryock>

3

: capable of being confirmed, verified, or disproved by observation or experiment <empirical statements or laws>

—em·pir·i·cal·ly \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Variants of EMPIRICAL

em·pir·i·cal also em·pir·ic \-ik\