scientific

adjective

sci·​en·​tif·​ic ˌsī-ən-ˈti-fik 

1

: of, relating to, or exhibiting the methods or principles of science

2

: conducted in the manner of science or according to results of investigation by science : practicing or using thorough or systematic methods

scientific advertising

scientific baby care

a scientific boxer

scientifically

ˌsī-ən-ˈti-fi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of scientific in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The eagerness to turn climate change into a culture war underscores a growing desire to ignore scientific consensus and factual evidence in favor of promoting ideological divides. —Mary Anna Mancuso, Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2024

Two new scientific studies suggest that global warming is changing the rotation of the earth and is also increasing the length of day at an unprecedented rate. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 17 July 2024

Brilliant scientific minds of the era, including Hans Bethe, Edward Teller, Enrico Fermi and J. Robert Oppenheimer – who directed the Los Alamos, New Mexico, branch of The Manhattan Project – came together in a race against Germany and the Soviet Union to build an atomic weapon. —Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 16 July 2024

Twitter Lauren Weber joined The Washington Post in 2023 as an accountability reporter focused on the forces promoting scientific and medical disinformation. —Lauren Weber, Washington Post, 16 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French and Medieval Latin; Middle French sientifique, scientifique, borrowed from Medieval Latin scientificus "producing knowledge, relating to knowledge" (translating Greek epistēmonikós), from Latin scientia "knowledge, science" + -ficus -fic

Note: The Medieval Latin transition in sense from "producing knowledge" to "relating to knowledge" (in the text of a translation of Aristotle's Posterior Analytics) is described in detail in the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition.

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing scientific

• scientific creationism
• scientific method
• scientific notation
• the scientific method

Kids Definition

scientific

adjective

sci·​en·​tif·​ic ˌsī-ən-ˈtif-ik 

: of, relating to, or exhibiting the methods or rules of science

scientifically

-ˈtif-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

scientific

adjective

sci·​en·​tif·​ic ˌsī-ən-ˈtif-ik 

: of, relating to, or exhibiting the methods or principles of science

scientifically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb