heuristic

1 of 2

adjective

heu·​ris·​tic hyu̇-ˈri-stik 

: involving or serving as an aid to learning, discovery, or problem-solving by experimental and especially trial-and-error methods

heuristic techniques

a heuristic assumption

also : of or relating to exploratory problem-solving techniques that utilize self-educating techniques (such as the evaluation of feedback) to improve performance

a heuristic computer program

heuristically

hyu̇-ˈri-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

heuristic

2 of 2

noun

heu·​ris·​tic hyu̇-ˈri-stik 

1

: the study or practice of heuristic (see heuristic entry 1) procedure

2

: heuristic (see heuristic entry 1) argument

3

: a heuristic (see heuristic entry 1) method or procedure

Examples of heuristic in a Sentence

Adjective

If Orbitz prevails, its online reservation process alone may blow away the competition. Unlike mainframe-based systems …  , Orbitz uses racks of PCs to search fare data, making it easier to scale up computing power. And its intelligent … algorithms evaluate all the possible fares simultaneously instead of employing heuristic shortcuts designed to use as little computing power as possible. —Evan Ratliff, WIRED, September 2000

Because "tradition" has served as a powerful heuristic term, we are always in danger of reifying it … —Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Reading Black, Reading Feminist, 1990

Its heuristic principle would be St. Augustine's axiom that the Old Testament is revealed in the New and the New concealed in the Old … —V. B. Leitch, American Literary Criticism from the Thirties to the Eighties, 1988

Noun

"Cult" is best understood not as a descriptor, but as a command, like a law officer's "Halt!" Its purpose is to stop and contain. A more useful heuristic would be to identify precisely the most disturbing practices, beliefs, or incidents in the world of a "cult" … —Robert A. Orsi, Commonweal, 6 Oct. 2000

Search engines … use heuristics to determine the way in which to order—and thereby prioritize—pages. —Soumen Chakrabarti et al., Scientific American, June 1999

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Six ways to avoid the affect heuristic Avoiding the pitfalls of the affect heuristic involves cultivating an awareness of its influence and actively engaging System 2 thinking. —Bryce Hoffman, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024

This technology direction also makes heuristic calculation of time using SSL/TLS far less attractive when compared to deterministic, secure time synchronization. —Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 16 Aug. 2023

Noun

Decades of psychological study, influenced by the pioneering work of Danny Kahneman and Amos Tversky, have shown that diagnosis is subject to the same predictable biases and heuristics as other domains of knowledge. —Adam Rodman, STAT, 3 May 2024

Traditionally, retirement planning has utilized this outside-in structure, leveraging simple heuristics to prevent retirees from running out of financial resources during their lifetimes. —Roger Whitney, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

German heuristisch, from New Latin heuristicus, from Greek heuriskein to discover; akin to Old Irish fo-fúair he found

First Known Use

Adjective

1821, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1