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
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
Examples of empiricism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
The fashion and beauty industries seem to be embracing a kind of faux empiricism these days.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2024
Romantic literature isn’t all love stories; the cohort rejected the cold reason and empiricism of the Enlightenment in favor of the irrational, the supernatural, the emotional, and the deeply subjective.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 1 July 2024
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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
The fashion and beauty industries seem to be embracing a kind of faux empiricism these days.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2024
Romantic literature isn’t all love stories; the cohort rejected the cold reason and empiricism of the Enlightenment in favor of the irrational, the supernatural, the emotional, and the deeply subjective.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 1 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for empiricism
Cite this Entry
“Empiricism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empiricism. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Medical Definition
empiricism
noun
em·pir·i·cism
im-ˈpir-ə-ˌsiz-əm, em-
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