Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

empirical

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore E words

based on observation or experiment rather than theory

Word origin: From Greek empeiria, experience.

Start a free GRE mock test 39 minutes · free · instant score
In a sentence

Empirical in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing empirical in a sentence.

The hypothesis lacked empirical support and was eventually discarded.

The theory remained speculative until empirical trials confirmed its central prediction.

Synonyms
observedexperimentalfactual
Antonyms
theoreticalspeculativeconjectural

Quick GRE check

Question 1 of 3

3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?

Verbal · Sentence Equivalence

The committee dismissed the proposal as blank, pointing out that its projected revenues depended on conditions no economy had ever sustained.

Select the two answers that give the sentence the same meaning. 0 of 2 selected.

Usage & nuance

Using “empirical” well

Empirical means grounded in observation or experiment rather than pure reasoning. It is the standard counterpart to theoretical and speculative in academic prose.

Common questions

Questions about “empirical”

Empirical (adjective) means based on observation or experiment rather than theory
Here is empirical used in an example sentence: "The hypothesis lacked empirical support and was eventually discarded." Another example: "The theory remained speculative until empirical trials confirmed its central prediction."
Common synonyms for empirical include observed, experimental, factual.
Antonyms of empirical include theoretical, speculative, conjectural.
Clusters with observed, experimental, and factual in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms theoretical, speculative, and conjectural are the usual foils.
Yes. Empirical is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.