derived from experiment and observation rather than theory; "an empirical basis for an ethical theory"; "empirical laws"; "empirical data"; "an empirical treatment of a disease about which little is known"
difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge; "the professor's lectures were so abstruse that students tended to avoid them"; "a deep metaphysical theory"; "some recondite problem in historiography"
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality; "a moderate grade of intelligence"; "a high level of care is required"; "it is all a matter of degree"
the seriousness of something (e.g., a burn or crime); "murder in the second degree"; "a second degree burn"
the highest power of a term or variable
a measure for arcs and angles; "there are 360 degrees in a circle"
a unit of temperature on a specified scale; "the game was played in spite of the 40-degree temperature"
a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process; "a remarkable degree of frankness"; "at what stage are the social sciences?"
characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks; "a diligent detective investigates all clues"; "a diligent search of the files"
quietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness; "a diligent (or patient) worker"; "with persevering (or patient) industry she revived the failing business"