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

Princeton's WordNet(4.23 / 13 votes)Rate this definition:

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"

Wiktionary(3.60 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. observationnoun

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

   Etymology: From observatio

2. observationnoun

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

   Etymology: From observatio

3. observationnoun

   A remark or comment.

   Etymology: From observatio

4. observationnoun

   A judgement based on observing.

   Etymology: From observatio

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

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

Freebase(3.00 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

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 Medicine(2.75 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

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 Terms(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

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. Deodatta V. Shenai-Khatkhate:

   When you speak with a Scientist about the glass being half-full and half-empty, she/he says that it's a SWAG (Scientific Wild Assumption Guess) based on only visual observation but not substantiated by any experimental data; and therefore it must be inaccurate. She/he will suggest that you do the following: (a) mark the glass at the bottom of the meniscus of the content, (b) pour the content into a bigger glass, (c) fill the empty glass with fresh content up to the mark, (d) add the original content back in, (e) note whether or not the combined content overflows the lip of the glass, (f) conclude that either the glass was more than half full if it overflows, or it was more than half-empty if it doesn't reach the top, (g) conclude that it was either half-full or half-empty only if it neither overflows nor fails to reach the top. Just a word of caution: Don't be surprised if the scientist, doesn't matter she or he, after all that "scientific discussion" asks you: "Now, what was your question again?

2. Ehsan Sehgal:

   I am being observed, secretly, and discovered by close observation through someone's team member/members, who are nowhere. The globe is visible within my spirituality. I am not allowed to disclose the secret of mystical powers. Only you can reach my heart with your heart. Don't go far, don't play games; you will lose everything; you have established in my heart.

3. Yasmin Balai:

   It took me at least half a year of observation and becoming involved before I knew how I wanted to represent the community, photographing someone automatically means to take on a big responsibility of their representation in the public eye, and as a photographer you should always be aware of that.

4. Deodatta V. Shenai-Khatkhate:

   Power can change people, no matter how infinitesimally smallest dose of power it may be. It's a too common observation that people, after receiving power, often lose their feelings of empathy and respect, and start to distance themselves from their subordinates, not realizing that power is almost always transitory. In my view, the true color and character of a person are revealed only by the manner in which she/he handles power.

5. David Duval:

   A lot of players are slow to change, you're playing good,( you think) why do I want to mess with that ? It takes a lot of testing, a lot of practice and observation of the ball, especially under competitive circumstances, to realize this is a better product and I need to start using it.

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