EMPIRICISM

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does empiricism mean? 

• EMPIRICISM (noun)
  The noun EMPIRICISM has 3 senses:

1. (philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge derives from experience

2. the application of empirical methods in any art or science

3. medical practice and advice based on observation and experience in ignorance of scientific findings

  Familiarity information: EMPIRICISM used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EMPIRICISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge derives from experience

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

empiricism; empiricist philosophy; sensationalism

Hypernyms ("empiricism" is a kind of...):

philosophical doctrine; philosophical theory (a doctrine accepted by adherents to a philosophy)

Domain category:

philosophy (the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "empiricism"):

British empiricism (the predominant philosophical tradition in Great Britain since the 17th century)

experimentalism (an empirical doctrine that advocates experimental principles)

logical positivism; positivism (the form of empiricism that bases all knowledge on perceptual experience (not on intuition or revelation))

Derivation:

empiricist (a philosopher who subscribes to empiricism)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The application of empirical methods in any art or science

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("empiricism" is a kind of...):

investigating; investigation (the work of inquiring into something thoroughly and systematically)

Derivation:

empiric; empirical (derived from experiment and observation rather than theory)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Medical practice and advice based on observation and experience in ignorance of scientific findings

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

empiricism; quackery

Hypernyms ("empiricism" is a kind of...):

medical practice (the practice of medicine)

Derivation:

empiric; empirical (relying on medical quackery)

 Context examples 

He, by some wonder of vision, saw beyond the farthest outpost of empiricism, where was no language for narration, and yet, by some golden miracle of speech, investing known words with unknown significances, he conveyed to Martin's consciousness messages that were incommunicable to ordinary souls.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)