Synonyms: trial-and-error
Definition: relating to solving problems by experience rather than theory
Usage: they adopted a trial-and-error procedure
Similar words: heuristic
Definition: of or relating to or using a general formulation that serves to guide investigation
Synonyms: trial-and-error
Definition: trying out various means or theories until error is satisfactorily reduced or eliminated
Usage: he argued that all learning is a trial-and-error process that resembles biological evolution
Similar words: empiric, empirical
Definition: derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
Usage: an empirical basis for an ethical theory; empirical laws; empirical data; an empirical treatment of a disease about which little is known