EMPIRICAL Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

empirical

adjective

im-ˈpir-i-kəl

variants also empiric

Definition of empirical

as in observational

based on observation or experience guidelines for raising children that are based on empirical evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in verifiable

capable of being proven as true or real a philosopher who does not regard "God exists" as an empirical statement

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of empirical For everyday, empirical purposes, the equations work well, but mathematicians have never been able to prove whether the equations hold for all fluid interactions across all time sequences. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 Whether employee ownership produces similar results is ultimately an empirical question, not an ideological one. — David I. Levine, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026 Ross and Roychoudhury relied on the empirical record, looking at studies from others who have studied this issue. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026 In general, Smith Galer’s empirical examples tend toward the optimistic. — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for empirical

Recent Examples of Synonyms for empirical

Adjective

Its approach is spatial and observational, less interested in the ideological binary of left and right than in the vast, complicated country that lies between.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
My company recently performed an observational analysis of millions of prompts and responses across all brands and product categories on the Azoma platform during Q2 2026.

— Max Sinclair, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of observational

Adjective

Any brand attempting something similar should ask what its equivalent trust signal is—certification, a guarantee, a verifiable specification—before assuming volume of content alone will move a purchase decision.

— Agung Dwi Sandi, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
This one, go figure, is also not exactly immediately verifiable.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of verifiable

Adjective

Use the objective points as ways to innovate on your idea and deliver a product that meets the needs of your audience.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Something else to consider is that teacher evaluation and student grades are not objective criteria.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of objective

Adjective

Professors have encountered demonstrable issues with widespread cheating, with many forced to devise their own methods for eliminating unethical AI use.

— Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
America has witnessed a proliferation of voting rights groups with sound justification and demonstrable results, but there comes a point when there may be too much of a good thing.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026

Definition of demonstrable

Adjective

The key test was performed independently on two nominally identical devices, one at EPFL and one at the Weizmann Institute, using separate experimental setups.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026
New partnerships with Walmart , Best Buy , Gap and Shopify will expand what Muse can do autonomously, while new smart glasses, virtual-reality glasses and an experimental Muse Charm will give consumers more ways to interact with it.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of experimental

Adjective

Binding it all together is the chain-of-custody record that includes every handoff between teams, vendors and systems, with verification signatures that make each component's provenance independently confirmable.

— Akash Pugalia, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Cekada is only the third person to be confirmed to lead the agency since the director's position was made confirmable in 2006.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 May 2026

Definition of confirmable

Adjective

But the less strictly technical procedure Serra describes is analogous to operations at stake in Jonas’s own work, implying that the act of measurement by walking and seeing is tacitly existential.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Basically, what Thiel’s doing in his Antichrist speeches is portraying our current predicament as an existential battle between good and evil.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of existential

Adjective

The output has to be supportable, reviewable and grounded in information that can actually survive scrutiny later.

— Arun Ramakrishnan, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Claims about artificial intelligence must be technically accurate, operationally supportable, and consistent with the company’s financial results.

— Perrie M. Weiner, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026

Definition of supportable

Browse Nearby Words

empiric

empirical

empiricist

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“Empirical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empirical. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of empirical

adjective

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