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

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

1. observation(noun)

   the act of making and recording a measurement

2. observation, observance, watching(noun)

   the act of observing; taking a patient look

3. observation, reflection, reflexion(noun)

   a remark expressing careful consideration

4. observation(noun)

   facts learned by observing

   "he reported his observations to the mayor"

5. notice, observation, observance(noun)

   the act of noticing or paying attention

   "he escaped the notice of the police"

Wiktionary(3.60 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. observation(Noun)

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

   Etymology: From observatio

2. observation(Noun)

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

   Etymology: From observatio

3. observation(Noun)

   A remark or comment.

   Etymology: From observatio

4. observation(Noun)

   A judgement based on observing.

   Etymology: From observatio

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

1. Observation(noun)

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

2. Observation(noun)

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

3. Observation(noun)

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

4. Observation(noun)

   performance of what is prescribed; adherence in practice; observance

5. Observation(noun)

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

6. Observation(noun)

   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. Observation(noun)

   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(2.67 / 3 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.

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

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

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. Bruce Neal:

   Two points here : first, while it’s an intuitively appealing finding, it is statistically rather weak, second, good adherence is hard to achieve with current therapeutic options for PAP. If a new, very well-tolerated mode of PAP therapy is identified, it would be really helpful to do a large outcome trial to try and confirm this tantalizing observation.

2. Wu Zunyou:

   Will they cause the spread( of the virus) ? No they won't, why ? Because in China, under our current measures, all close contact( patients) have been placed under quarantine and isolated medical observation, and will be sent to hospital for diagnosis and treatment once they develop symptoms. So they won't cause any spread in society.

3. Nsengiyumva Pierre Claver:

   Analyse politique? c'est au dela de l'observation directe, l'interpretation factuelle et evenementielle c'est savoir discerner ce qui fait sensation et essayer de comprendre ce qui sous-tend l'apparente realite qui frappe nos sens de plein fouet

4. 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 suggests that you (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 "discussion" asks you "Now, what was your question again?

5. Henry Ford:

   It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.

Images & Illustrations of observation

Popularity rank by frequency of use