Empirical can still be used critically to describe ideas and practices that rely on experience or observation alone and without due regard for system or theory.

EMPIRICAL definition: derived from or guided by direct experience or by experiment, rather than abstract principles or theory. See examples of empirical used in a sentence.

Empirical evidence or study relies on practical experience rather than theories. There is no empirical evidence to support his thesis.

EMPIRICAL definition: 1. based on what is experienced or seen rather than on theory: 2. based on what is experienced or…. Learn more.

1. a. Relying on or derived from observation or experiment: empirical results that supported the hypothesis. b. Verifiable or provable by means of observation or experiment: empirical laws. 2. …

Definition of empirical adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

empirical, adj. & n. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary