Empirically

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Relying on observed phenomena and real-world evidence instead of theoretical reasoning
2. Grounded in practical experience and observation as opposed to abstract principles
3. In a manner dependent on data gathered through observation or experimentation rather than theory

Etymology: Empirically is the adverb of "empirical," and its roots lie in an ancient Greek word for experience. The Greek "empeiría" was built from "en," meaning "in," and "peira," meaning "trial" or "attempt." A person who was "empeiros" was someone experienced in something, "in the trial." Greek physicians of the school known as the Empiricists relied on what they could observe at the bedside rather than on theories about the body, and their name passed into Latin as "empiricus" and then into English as "empiric," a word once used for a practitioner who relied on experience rather than formal training. The adjective "empirical" was formed in English by adding the suffix "-al" to that Latin base, and "empirically" added "-ly," an Old English ending meaning "in the manner of." Together they describe conclusions reached by observation and testing rather than by reasoning from first principles.

Synonyms: experimentally, observationally, practically, a posteriori, evidentially

Antonyms: theoretically, hypothetically, abstractly, conceptually, principally