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
Democrats today are guided not by sober empiricism but by fanciful ideology.
—
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
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
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Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for empiricism
Cite this Entry
“Empiricism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empiricism. Accessed 4 Nov. 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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