anti-empiricist
|an-ti-em-pir-i-cist|
/ˌæn.ti.ɪmˈpɪrɪsɪst/
against empiricism
Etymology
'anti-empiricist' originates from Modern English, formed by the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') attached to 'empiricist' (from 'empiricism' + suffix '-ist', denoting a person who holds a particular doctrine).
'empiricist' derives from 'empirical' which came into English via Late Latin/Modern Latin from Greek 'empeiria' (experience). The prefix 'anti-' has long been used in English to form oppositional compounds, and in modern usage these combined to form 'anti-empiricist'.
Initially it literally meant 'against empiricism'; this direct sense has remained stable and is used to label individuals or positions that reject or oppose empiricist epistemology.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who opposes or rejects empiricism (the philosophical view that knowledge is primarily derived from sensory experience).
As an anti-empiricist, she argued that reason and a priori principles could yield knowledge independent of sensory data.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
opposed to empiricism; describing a stance, argument, or approach that rejects or criticizes empiricist methods or assumptions.
His anti-empiricist critique targeted the reliance on sensory observation as the sole basis for knowledge.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/26 19:07