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 Others, like Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares, think the empirical methods this would require are extremely unlikely to work, and place the chance that superintelligence kills us all very high. — Geoffrey Irving, Time, 3 Oct. 2026 In turn, maneuvers are the living afterimages of protocol, supplying empirical evidence of how operations played out. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 This study provides a first systematic empirical look at the psychological infrastructure that makes such violence conceivable. — Lisa Hagen, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026 Per the authors, this is the first empirical evidence for motion dazzle effects produced by butterfly wings. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for empirical

Recent Examples of Synonyms for empirical

Adjective

Long-term, the picture is not so clear-cut because people who choose diet soda often differ from those who drink regular soda in many ways, which makes observational research tricky to interpret.

— Brittany Poulson, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2026
The Swedish polymath explores the sounds, language, and imagery of Americana on a drolly observational singer-songwriter album.

— Harry Thorfinn-George, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of observational

Adjective

As more brands move toward specific, verifiable sourcing claims, the ability to choose the right fiber category and support it with real evidence is becoming a meaningful differentiator.

— SJ Studio, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
The stores also failed to provide a verifiable company identity and business address.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of verifiable

Adjective

The credentialing process itself is objective and requires a security clearance and some other criteria be met that are objective, that have nothing to do with the content or viewpoint of reporting.

— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026
Unifying early creative and planning phases with advanced analytics ensures downstream execution is driven by objective market signals rather than isolated guessing.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of objective

Adjective

For boards and CXOs, fault tolerance, error correction, economics and demonstrable advantage still matter.

— Rajjie Sarmey, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 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

In experimental tests described by the company, the approach completed one task in just under 16 minutes, compared with more than 29 minutes using a conventional approach.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
The album’s experimental bent is also what keeps the music from slipping into parody or, even worse, po-faced sincerity.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 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

Inside the corner office, AI is not a margin drag to be managed, but an existential race against time and competitors moving at unprecedented speed.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026
All year, these Democrats have sworn that they are focused on helping to win races in a midterm election that their party describes as existential.

— New York Times, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of existential

Adjective

Publish a useful, supportable answer, then listen for whether the next conversations change.

— Dennis Kirwan, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 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

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Empirical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empirical. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of empirical

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fulsome

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes