empiricism

noun em·pir·i·cism \ im-ˈpir-ə-ˌsi-zəm , em- \

Definition of empiricism

1 a : a former school of medical practice founded on experience without the aid of science or theory

b : quackery, charlatanry

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

play \im-ˈpir-ə-sist, em-\ noun

See empiricism defined for English-language learners

See empiricism defined for kids

Recent Examples of empiricism from the Web

Rejecting evidence and empiricism is a step toward despotism.

— jonathan foley, Scientific American, "The Administration’s War on Facts Is a War on Democracy Itself," 1 May 2017
That means, in its modern manifestation, that the tribe comes before the country as a whole, before any neutral institutions that get in its way, before reason and empiricism, and before the rule of law.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "When Two Tribes Go to War," 2 Feb. 2018
And both were involved with the Royal Society in London, in the flourishing of empiricism and natural philosophy that took place across the country and in the trying of exotic and newly available food and drink—tea, coffee, chocolate, pineapples.

— The Economist, "Pepys and Evelyn, chroniclers of the English Renaissance," 31 Aug. 2017
Isaac then all but mocks my belief in a rediscovery of moderation and empiricism to help us.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "It’s Win-Win When Trump and the Democrats Work Together," 22 Sep. 2017
The rise of supply-side economics on the right is perhaps the first major example of the modern Republican Party’s abandonment of policy expertise and empiricism.

— jeet heer, New Republic, "Art Laffer and the Intellectual Rot of the Republican Party," 18 Oct. 2017
That empiricism has persuaded most Anglo-American conservative thinkers of the importance of traditional Protestant institutions such as the independent national state, biblical religion and the family.

— yoram hazony, WSJ, "Is ‘Classical Liberalism’ Conservative?," 13 Oct. 2017
Reentering it with empiricism and moderation to find different compromises for different issues is the only way out of our increasingly dangerous impasse.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Can Our Democracy Survive Tribalism?," 19 Sep. 2017
The witch rejects empiricism; by embracing witchcraft, the young woman is rehabilitating an old, stigmatized identity and finding within it a source of strength.

— josephine livingstone, New Republic, "Donald Trump and the Witch," 21 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'empiricism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of empiricism

empiric + -ism

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1658

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Philosophy Terms

dialectic, dualism, epistemology, existentialism, metaphysics, ontology, sequitur, solipsism, transcendentalism

EMPIRICISM Defined for English Language Learners

empiricism

noun

Definition of empiricism for English Language Learners

: the practice of basing ideas and theories on testing and experience

Medical Dictionary

empiricism

noun em·pir·i·cism \ im-ˈpir-ə-ˌsiz-əm, em- \

medical Definition of empiricism

1 a : a former school of medical practice based on the teachings of the empirics

b : quackery

2 : the practice of relying on observation and experiment especially in the natural sciences

Learn More about empiricism

See words that rhyme with empiricism Britannica English: Translation of empiricism for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about empiricism

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up empiricism? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

empiricism

Definition of empiricism

empiricist

Recent Examples of empiricism from the Web

Origin and Etymology of empiricism

Other Philosophy Terms

EMPIRICISM Defined for English Language Learners

empiricism

Definition of empiricism for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

empiricism

medical Definition of empiricism

Learn More about empiricism

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

declivity

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 7/13

Is There a Difference Between ‘Long’ and ‘Lengthy?’

Add These Rare and Uncommon Words to Your Vocabulary Now!

There's My Ride: 9 Types of Vehicles

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Obscure Shapes

Who Knew?

True or False?

Word Winder's CrossWinder

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 7/13

Obscure Shapes

Wonderful Words That You're Not Using (Yet)

Trending: Ocasio-Cortez Sparks 'Socialism' Lookups

Ghost Word

empiricism

Definition of empiricism

empiricist

Recent Examples of empiricism from the Web

Origin and Etymology of empiricism

Other Philosophy Terms

EMPIRICISM Defined for English Language Learners

empiricism

Definition of empiricism for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

empiricism

medical Definition of empiricism

Learn More about empiricism

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 7/13

Obscure Shapes

Wonderful Words That You're Not Using (Yet)

Trending: Ocasio-Cortez Sparks 'Socialism' Lookups

Ghost Word