empiricism

noun

em·​pir·​i·​cism im-ˈpir-ə-ˌsi-zəm 

em-

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

im-ˈpir-ə-sist 

em-

noun

Examples of empiricism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His ideological positions run headlong into empiricism, as the administration’s fight with economists over the effects of its tariff policy has shown. —David V. Gioe, Foreign Affairs, 2 July 2025

The sole reference to God in the Declaration emphasizes empiricism over religiosity. —Time, 1 July 2025

In his rejection of a rigid empiricism, moreover, Kingsley left room for intuitive and imaginative approaches to nature, and indeed to science, and refused to draw a hard line between human and nonhuman experience, instead viewing all creatures as belonging to a spectrum with no sharp boundaries. —Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 29 Jan. 2025

Professors like me often get too caught up in the nuances and empiricism of entrepreneurship. —Ted Ladd, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

empiric + -ism

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for empiricism

• activism
• ageism
• albinism
• altruism
• aneurism
• animism
• aphorism
• atomism
• barbarism
• bolshevism
• botulism
• brahmanism

Kids Definition

empiricism

noun

em·​pir·​i·​cism im-ˈpir-ə-ˌsiz-əm 

em-

1

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

2

: a theory that knowledge begins with experience

empiricist

-səst 

noun or adjective

Medical Definition

empiricism

noun

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

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