empiricist
/ɪmˈpɪr.ɪ.sɪst/ (bre, ipa) · /emˈpɪr.ə.sɪst/ (ame, ipa) · /ɪmˈpɪrɪsɪst/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪmˈpɪrɪsɪst/ (ame, ipa)
empiricist — noun
- empiricistsingular
- empiricistsplural
1. someone who gives more authority to observation and experience than to abstract
someone who gives more authority to observation and experience than to abstract ideas when deciding what to believe.
During the seminar, Hiro called himself an empiricist, not a pure theorist.
pattern: call yourself an empiricist
Noa became an empiricist after years of testing soil in drought areas.
pattern: become an empiricist
The debate ended when Christopher, an empiricist, asked for measurable proof.
Our history teacher described Locke as an empiricist with little patience for speculation.
At dinner, Vivek sounded like an empiricist whenever family stories lacked evidence.
- experimentalist
stresses testing by experiment more than the broader theory of knowledge
- researcher
broader, and does not always imply a philosophical commitment to experience
- positivist
narrower, often suggesting a stricter focus on measurable facts
- rationalist
gives more weight to reason and principles than to direct experience
文法句型
be an empiricist
become an empiricist
an empiricist who + tests or observes
用法筆記
Common in philosophy and other academic discussion. It can name both a philosopher who treats experience as the main source of knowledge and, more broadly, a person who prefers observed evidence over theory.
常見錯誤
empiricist — adjective
- empiricistpositive
- more empiricistcomparative
- most empiricistsuperlative
1. describing a person, idea, or method that trusts observation and experience more
describing a person, idea, or method that trusts observation and experience more than abstract explanation.
The professor defended an empiricist approach to language learning in class.
collocation: empiricist approach
Femi's paper takes an empiricist view, drawing conclusions from field notes.
pattern: take an empiricist view
Kwame's museum project followed an empiricist method instead of guessing first.
The journal praised the team's empiricist tradition of checking claims outdoors.
At the meeting, Indra proposed an empiricist policy built on classroom data.
- empirical
far more common, but usually labels data or methods rather than the philosophical stance itself
- evidence-based
modern and practical, with less philosophical force
- experimental
often narrower, stressing trial and testing rather than the whole theory of knowledge
- rationalist
describes a theory or approach that gives greater authority to reason
文法句型
an empiricist approach / method / tradition
take an empiricist view
an empiricist thinker or school
用法筆記
Usually appears before nouns such as approach, method, tradition, or view. Empirical is the far more common word for ordinary evidence-based description; empiricist often points to the belief or school behind that method.