noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET:EH0 M P IH1 R AH0 S IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A doctrine which holds that the only or, at least, the most reliable source of human knowledge is experience, especially perception by means of the physical senses. (Often contrasted with rationalism.)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A pursuit of knowledge purely through experience, especially by means of observation and sometimes by experimentation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Research methodology shaped from empirical philosophy (see above), e.g. surveys, statistics, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Medicine as practised by an empiric, founded on mere (personal or anecdotal) experience, without the aid of science or a knowledge of principles.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, historical, uncountable
Topics: medicine, sciences
Examples
Near-synonyms: folk medicine; quackery; charlatanry
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: folk medicine, quackery, charlatanry
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
medical practice and advice based on observation and experience in ignorance of scientific findings
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: quackery
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: medical practice
6
noun
Meaning 6
the application of empirical methods in any art or science
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: investigation, investigating
7
noun
Meaning 7
(philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge derives from experience
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: empiricist philosophy, sensationalism
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: philosophical doctrine, philosophical theory
Narrower terms: British empiricism, experimentalism, positivism, logical positivism
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English empiric Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English empiricism From empiric + -ism.
Across languages
Translations
35 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
емпиризъм
(empirizǎm)
— philosophical theory
Catalan:
empirisme
— philosophical theory
Chinese Mandarin:
經驗主義 /经验主义
(jīngyànzhǔyì)
— philosophical theory
Chinese Mandarin:
經驗論 /经验论
(jīngyànlùn)
— philosophical theory
Czech:
empirismus
— philosophical theory
Dutch:
empirisme
— philosophical theory
Finnish:
empirismi
— philosophical theory
French:
empirisme
— philosophical theory
German:
Empirismus
— philosophical theory
Greek:
εμπειρισμός
(empeirismós)
— philosophical theory
Greek:
εμπειριοκρατία
(empeiriokratía)
— philosophical theory
Hindi:
अनुभववाद
(anubhavvād)
— philosophical theory
Hindi:
इंद्रियानुभववाद
(indriyānubhavvād)
— philosophical theory
Icelandic:
reynsluhyggja
— philosophical theory
Icelandic:
raunhyggja
— philosophical theory
Japanese:
経験論
(keikenron)
— philosophical theory
Japanese:
経験主義
(keikenshugi)
— philosophical theory
Kazakh:
эмпиризм
(émpirizm)
— philosophical theory
Korean:
경험론
(gyeongheomnon)
— philosophical theory
Polish:
empiryzm
— philosophical theory
Polish:
aposterioryzm
— philosophical theory
Portuguese:
empirismo
— philosophical theory
Romanian:
empirism
— philosophical theory
Russian:
эмпиризм
(empirizm)
— philosophical theory
Spanish:
empirismo
— philosophical theory
Swedish:
empirism
— philosophical theory
Tamil:
பட்டறிவியம்
(paṭṭaṟiviyam)
— philosophical theory
Thai:
ประสบการณ์นิยม
— philosophical theory
Ukrainian:
емпіризм
(empiryzm)
— philosophical theory
Vietnamese:
chủ nghĩa kinh nghiệm
— philosophical theory
German:
Empirie
— pursuit of knowledge purely through experience
German:
Empirismus
— pursuit of knowledge purely through experience
Polish:
empiria
— pursuit of knowledge purely through experience
Ancient Greek:
ἐμπειρῐκή
(empeirĭkḗ)
— practice of medicine founded on experience only
Latin:
empīricē
— practice of medicine founded on experience only