empirical
based on observation or evidence
Root
- empir: trial, observation, or practical knowledge
Other words with the empir root
- empiricism: the view that knowledge comes from experience and observation
Empirical claims lean on observation, measurement, and tested evidence, not just theory.
The empirical evidence was messier than the elegant model.
Empirical asks a practical question: what did observation, measurement, or testing show? It is the word for claims that have met evidence instead of floating above it.