as in empirical
based on observation or experience
her reports on the great apes were based on firsthand observational evidence
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Recent Examples of observational
Campos and her colleagues stress that their role is strictly observational — never to interfere.
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Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
Because of this alignment, Regulus has played an important role in both observational astronomy and ancient sky calendars.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Theoretical models have long predicted that globular clusters near the galactic center should lose most of their mass over time, but clear observational evidence has been rare, especially for clusters in the bulge.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
For decades, observational studies suggested that moderate alcohol consumption — particularly wine — might reduce heart disease risk.
—Robert M. Kaplan, STAT, 1 Jan. 2026
The dust in the tail may contain material from the planet's crust, its mantle or even its core, which would give scientists a rare opportunity to study the internal composition of a distant world — something normally far beyond observational reach.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 26 Dec. 2025
The retrospective observational study looked at 1,903 patients 65 and older who underwent rehabilitation at the hospital from April 2017 to March 2024, according to a press release.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
To be fair, these were unusually robust observational studies that compared people born within weeks of each other in the UK, either before or after a strict age cutoff for vaccination.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 20 Dec. 2025
Rob Reiner – who had long cemented his place among Hollywood’s comedy set with his affable nature and signature observational humor – fit right in at O’Brien’s festivities Saturday night.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for observational
Adjective
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Assorted arguments, testimony and empirical evidence regarding Title IX haven’t been scrutinized and arguably fall outside the scope of the litigation.—
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As my colleague Rogé Karma explained last year, however, essentially the entire weight of empirical economic evidence suggests that this theory has never been true in practice.—
Adjective
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Industry analysts warn that social stigma remains high and inflation threatens to curb spending on experimental, nonessential goods.—
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In an interview with Interesting Engineering, UEL researcher Daehyun Kim explained that SCARABS focuses on exploration reliability rather than experimental payloads.—
Adjective
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Having direct knowledge of the volcano provides a much more objective sense of the limits of their analysis, Calò said.—
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An independent campus security risk assessment conducted by outside experts provides an objective review of vulnerabilities that internal reviews may miss.—
Cite this Entry
“Observational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/observational. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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