Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or employing the methodology of science.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Concerned with the acquisition of accurate and systematic knowledge of principles by observation and deduction: as, scientific investigation.
  • Of or pertaining to, treating of, or used in science: as, scientific works; scientific instruments; scientific nomenclature.
  • Versed in science; guided by the principles of science, and not by empiricism or mere quackery; hence, learned; skilful: as, a scientific physician.
  • According to the rules or principles of science; hence, systematic; accurate; nice: as, a scientific arrangement of fossils.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to science; used in science.
  • adjective Agreeing with, or depending on, the rules or principles of science.
  • adjective Having a knowledge of science, or of a science; evincing science or systematic knowledge.
  • adjective the method employed in exact science and consisting of: (a) Careful and abundant observation and experiment. (b) generalization of the results into formulated “Laws” and statements.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of, or having to do with science.
  • adjective Having the quality of being derived from, or consistent with, the scientific method.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective conforming with the principles or methods used in science
  • adjective of or relating to the practice of science

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Medieval Latin scientificus, producing knowledge : Latin scientia, knowledge; see science + Latin -ficus, -fic.]

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Examples

  • What Googled list does not contain is any scientific discussion and there is plenty in modern science which is pressing “scientific consensus” as an argument of validity for some theory.

    Unthreaded #19 « Climate Audit 2007

  • As the scientific group pointed out, "agricultural and veterinary leaders continue to believe, in spite of overwhelming ­scientific evidence to the contrary, that the main approach to cattle TB control must involve some form of badger population control".

    Politics news, UK and world political comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk 2010

  • Excellent patterns, celestial exemplars, of the things required were held up to it; and endless declamation and argument why it should be that, and not the other, were not wanting: -- but as to any scientific inquiry into the nature of the thing on which this form was to be superinduced, as to any _scientific_ exhibition of the form itself which was to be superinduced, these so essential conditions of the proposed result, were in this case alike wanting.

    The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere Unfolded Delia Bacon 1835

  • Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions made scientific revolutions, and historical development and concrete scientific practices more generally, central topics in science studies and established the best known account of both revolutionary and non-revolutionary (normal) science ” so well known that his account has largely pre-empted the term ˜scientific revolution™.

    Scientific Revolutions Nickles, Thomas 2009

  • The only difference was that they justified their greediness by business whereas the Aras justified their lack of qualms by the label scientific progress.

    Enemy in the Dark Mahr, Kurt 1975

  • Over their eight years in power, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have vowed to steer officials away from the blind pursuit of growth, instead advocating what they term "scientific development."

    Reuters: Top News 2011

  • Over their eight years in power, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have vowed to steer officials away from the blind pursuit of growth, instead advocating what they term "scientific development".

    Reuters: Top News 2011

  • it's just a matter of not understanding what the term scientific theory means Judging from the comments here, you would have to conclude it is the progressives that are against science.

    digg.com: Top News Digg 2011

  • Despite the 1986 International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling Japan is permitted to kill nearly 1,000 whales each year for what it calls scientific research.

    Sea Shepherd man sentenced for whaler assault 2010

  • Fifty years ago, C.P. Snow was shocked to learn that most of his supposedly highly educated friends, who might look down their nose at someone who could not quote Shakespeare and the Bible, were totally ignorant of mass and acceleration, not to mention the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which he called the scientific equivalent of asking: "Can you read?"

    Gareth Harris: Can You Speak Science? A Primer from a Priest Gareth Harris 2010

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