Meaning & use
observation
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Meanings
noununcountable
The act of carefully watching someone or something in order to learn or notice information.
Grammar: Uncountable for the process; the fixed phrase 'under observation' means being watched.
Patterns
- observation of something
- under observation
- careful observation of something
The patient was kept under observation overnight.
Her powers of observation helped her spot the mistake immediately.
nouncountable
A spoken or written comment about something you have noticed.
Grammar: Countable; the plural observations means remarks or recorded notes.
Patterns
- make an observation about something
- an interesting observation
He made an amusing observation about how everyone stares at their phones.
Her observation that Fridays were always busier turned out to be correct.
nouncountable or uncountablespecialist
The collection of information by watching or measuring, especially in scientific study.
Grammar: Often plural in scientific writing, meaning recorded acts of watching or measuring.
Patterns
- scientific observation
- observations of something
- field observation
Astronomers made observations of the comet over six nights.
The theory is supported by years of careful field observation.
Word forms
| plural | observations |
|---|
Common combinations
- under observation
- The suspect was kept under observation for a week.
- make an observation
- She made an interesting observation about the data.
- powers of observation
- A good detective has sharp powers of observation.
- classroom observation
- The new teacher's lesson was assessed during a classroom observation.
- careful observation
- Careful observation of the birds revealed a new nesting site.
Synonyms and how they differ
- watching
- Names the activity itself; observation emphasizes purposeful, attentive watching.
- remark
- Used for the comment sense; a remark can be about anything, but an observation is based on noticing something.
- monitoring
- Suggests regular, systematic checking over time, often with equipment, rather than a single act of watching.
Word family
- observe verb
- To watch carefully or notice; also to follow a rule or custom.
- observant adjective
- Quick to notice things happening around you.
- observational adjective
- Based on watching real events rather than running experiments, as in an observational study.
- observably adverb
- In a way that can be clearly noticed; rather formal and uncommon.
Commonly confused: observation or observance?
observation vs observance
Observance means following a law, custom, or religious practice; observation is watching or a remark.
Practice
The doctor decided to keep the patient ___ observation overnight.
Choose one answer.
'Under observation' is the fixed phrase meaning being carefully watched; other prepositions do not form this collocation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “observation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.