Definitions for observation
ˌɒb zɜrˈveɪ ʃənob·ser·va·tion

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.2 / 13 votes

1. observationnoun

   the act of making and recording a measurement

2. observation, observance, watchingnoun

   the act of observing; taking a patient look

3. observation, reflection, reflexionnoun

   a remark expressing careful consideration

4. observationnoun

   facts learned by observing

   "he reported his observations to the mayor"

5. notice, observation, observancenoun

   the act of noticing or paying attention

   "he escaped the notice of the police"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.6 / 5 votes

1. observationnoun

   The act of observing, and the fact of being observed.

2. observationnoun

   The act of noting and recording some event; or the record of such noting.

3. observationnoun

   A remark or comment.

4. observationnoun

   A judgement based on observing.

5. Etymology: From observatio

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Observationnoun

   Etymology: observatio, from observo, Lat. observation, Fr.

   1. The act of observing, noting, or remarking.

   These cannot be infused by observation, because they are the rules by which men take their first apprehensions and observations of things; as the being of the rule must be before its application to the thing directed by it. Robert South, Serm.

   The rules of our practice are taken from the conduct of such persons as fall within our observation. John Rogers.

   2. Notion gained by observing; note; remark; animadversion.

   In matters of human prudence, we shall find the greatest advantage by making wise observations on our conduct, and of the events attending it. Isaac Watts, Logick.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Observationnoun

   the act or the faculty of observing or taking notice; the act of seeing, or of fixing the mind upon, anything

2. Observationnoun

   the result of an act, or of acts, of observing; view; reflection; conclusion; judgment

3. Observationnoun

   hence: An expression of an opinion or judgment upon what one has observed; a remark

4. Observationnoun

   performance of what is prescribed; adherence in practice; observance

5. Observationnoun

   the act of recognizing and noting some fact or occurrence in nature, as an aurora, a corona, or the structure of an animal

6. Observationnoun

   specifically, the act of measuring, with suitable instruments, some magnitude, as the time of an occultation, with a clock; the right ascension of a star, with a transit instrument and clock; the sun's altitude, or the distance of the moon from a star, with a sextant; the temperature, with a thermometer, etc.

7. Observationnoun

   the information so acquired

FreebaseRate this definition:3.0 / 5 votes

1. Observation

   Observation is an activity of a living being, such as a human, which is necessary in order to receive knowledge of the world or about the environment through the senses, which often later involves the recording of data via the use of scientific instruments. The term may also refer to any data collected during this activity.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:2.8 / 4 votes

1. Observation

   The act of regarding attentively and studying facts and occurrences, gathering data through analyzing, measuring, and drawing conclusions, with the purpose of applying the observed information to theoretical assumptions. Observation as a scientific method in the acquisition of knowledge began in classical antiquity; in modern science and medicine its greatest application is facilitated by modern technology. Observation is one of the components of the research process.

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. observation

   In nautical astronomy, denotes the taking the sun, moon, or stars' altitude with a quadrant or sextant, in order thereby to find the latitude or time; also, the lunar distances.

Matched Categories

1. • Attention
   • Fact
   • Look
   • Measurement

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'observation' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3337

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'observation' in Nouns Frequency: #918

How to pronounce observation?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say observation in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of observation in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of observation in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of observation in a Sentence

1. Brandon Judd:

   We have seen no benefit, they're not allowed to be in the public eye. They're not allowed to be in our lookout and observation posts, even in Texas.

2. Edward Abbey:

   Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others.

3. Josep Borrell:

   We are not going to send any electoral observation mission there because Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has taken care to imprison all the political contenders who have stood in these elections.

4. Douglas London:

   MBS is eager to neutralize the threat posed by United States, whose intimate knowledge of the ruling family's skeletons, and everyone else's, and broad network, equipped him to enable any aspiring challenger to the crown, i don't rule out the possibility that MBS wanted to kill United States, but it's just as likely, if not more so, that were there a team deployed to Canada, MBS wanted to put United States under observation, information from which might provide insight on his contacts and activities.

5. Slamet Winaryo:

   From our observation, the smoke is very thick in Palangka Raya and Sampit, we have decided to give one week off from Monday to Saturday for the students in both locations.

Popularity rank by frequency of use