observation
[noun]
Synonyms:
- study, examination, inspection, monitoring, review, scrutiny, surveillance, watching
- remark, comment, note, opinion, pronouncement, reflection, thought, utterance

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English Thesaurus: comment, remark, point, observation, aside, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ob‧ser‧va‧tion W3 /ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃən $ ˌɑːbzər-/ noun

1. [uncountable and countable] the process of watching something or someone carefully for a period of time
observation of
Bloomfield’s approach to linguistics was based on observation of the language.
He spent two nights under close observation in hospital.
His orders were to keep the men under observation.
Art classes help develop children’s powers of observation.
Careful observation suggests that this is not the case.
Detailed observations were carried out on the behaviour of the students.
From their direct observations, children absorb a model of marriage.

2. [countable] something that you notice when watching something or someone:
Some interesting observations emerged from this research.

3. [countable] a spoken or written remark about something you have noticed
observation on
Darwin’s observations on the habits of certain birds
observation about
Paz makes some observations about the role of the critic.

4. [uncountable] the act of obeying a law etc Synonym : observance
—observational adjective

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

observation
noun
I. examination
ADJ. careful, close, detailed | direct | systematic | casual | empirical, scientific | clinical | astronomical
PREP. for ~ She was admitted to hospital for observation.
under ~ The police have had him under observation for several weeks.
~ of The survey was based on direct observation of over 500 schools.
PHRASES powers of observation an artist with acute powers of observation

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

observation
II. remark
ADJ. general | astute, keen, shrewd | interesting
VERB + OBSERVATION make
PREP. ~ about He smiled, and made some observation about the weather.
~ on her witty observations on life

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

observation

be under observation (=be in the process of being watched)
The police said that the house had been under observation.
keep somebody under observation (=closely watch someone or something over a period of time)
The doctor ordered that the patient be kept under observation.
sb’s powers of observation (=someone’s abilty to watch things in a way that helps them learn and understand more)
In the past, people used their own powers of observation to forecast the weather.
close/careful/detailed observation
A lot of useful knowledge is gained by careful observation of the world around you.
casual observation (=observation that is not done in a very careful or organized way)
Even casual observation makes this theory improbable.
direct observation
Piaget developed his theories based on direct observation of children.
personal observation (=watching and understanding something yourself, rather than hearing or reading about it)
I knew cigarettes were addictive from personal observation.
scientific observation (=observation done for scientific purposes)
Scientific observation led to the discovery of vaccines.
classroom observation (=observation of a teacher and children in a classroom)
Classroom observation is only part of what school inspectors do.
an observation post/point (=a place from where you can observe something)
The peak of the mountain was a natural location for an observation post.
an observation deck/platform/tower (=a structure that is built in order to observe something)
The army built an observation tower on the top of the building.
a period of observation
The hospital released him after a period of observation.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

comment something that you say or write in order to give your opinion:
Does anyone have any comments?
Readers are invited to send in their comments and suggestions.
remark something that you say:
Just ignore them if they start making rude remarks.
I’m not sure what he meant by that last remark.
point something that someone mentions about a subject in a discussion, argument, article etc:
That’s an interesting point, Steve.
He raises (=mentions) a number of important points in his paper.
observation a comment in which you say what you think or have noticed about something:
Karl Marx made the observation that history repeats itself first as tragedy, second as farce.
aside a comment made in a low voice, that you intend only certain people to hear:
‘Is that true?’, she whispered in an aside to Don.
quip /kwɪp/ a clever and amusing comment:
She knew she should reply with some light-hearted quip.
dig informal a comment you make to annoy or criticize someone:
I’m tired of her little digs at me.
taunt /tɔːnt $ tɒːnt/ a comment intended to make someone angry or upset:
The fans made racist taunts throughout the game.
say to tell someone something, using words:
‘I really ought to go,’ she said.
Lauren said she’d probably be late.
state to say something, especially in a definite or formal way – used in official contexts:
The witness stated that he had never seen the woman before.
Please state your name and address.
announce to publicly tell people about something:
The chairman announced his resignation.
The results will be announced tomorrow.
We will announce the winners next Sunday.
They were announcing the train times over the loudspeaker system.
declare to say something very firmly:
‘My personal life is none of your business,’ she declared.
mention to talk about someone or something, especially without giving many details:
Did Tom mention anything about what happened at school?
Your name was mentioned!
express to let someone know your feelings by putting them into words:
Young children often find it difficult to express their emotions.
note/remark formal to say that you have noticed that something is true – used especially in formal writing:
We have already noted that most old people live alone.
Someone once remarked that the problem with computers is that they only give you answers.
add to say something more, after what has already been said:
He added that he thought it could be done fairly cheaply.
point out to mention something that seems particularly important or relevant:
Dr Graham points out that most children show some signs of abnormal behaviour.
It’s worth pointing out that few people actually die of this disease.
air to talk about your opinions, worries, or the things you disagree about: air your views/grievances/differences:
The programme will give listeners the chance to air their views about immigration.
Workers were able to air their grievances.
voice to talk publicly about your feelings or about whether you approve or disapprove of something formal: voice concern/support/doubt/fears etc:
The president has already voiced his support for the proposal.
She voiced concern for the safety of the hostages.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

dig to make a hole in the ground using your hands, a tool, or a machine:
Some workmen were digging a trench at the side of the road.
In Africa, the people know where to dig for water.
make a hole to dig a hole in the ground, using your hands or a tool:
Make a hole just big enough for the plant’s roots.
burrow /ˈbʌrəʊ $ ˈbɜːroʊ/ if an animal burrows, it makes a hole or a passage in the ground by digging the earth with its feet, nose etc:
The rabbits had burrowed a hole under the fence.
plough British English, plow American English /plaʊ/ to turn over the soil using a machine or a tool pulled by animals, to prepare the soil for planting seeds:
The farmers here still plough their fields using buffaloes.
excavate /ˈekskəveɪt/ formal to dig a large hole in the ground, especially as a preparation for building something:
The men began excavating the hole for the pool.
bore to make a deep round hole in the ground using a special machine, especially in order to look for oil or water:
Companies need a special licence to bore for oil.
comment something that you say or write in order to give your opinion:
Does anyone have any comments?
Readers are invited to send in their comments and suggestions.
remark something that you say:
Just ignore them if they start making rude remarks.
I’m not sure what he meant by that last remark.
point something that someone mentions about a subject in a discussion, argument, article etc:
That’s an interesting point, Steve.
He raises (=mentions) a number of important points in his paper.
observation a comment in which you say what you think or have noticed about something:
Karl Marx made the observation that history repeats itself first as tragedy, second as farce.
aside a comment made in a low voice, that you intend only certain people to hear:
‘Is that true?’, she whispered in an aside to Don.
quip /kwɪp/ a clever and amusing comment:
She knew she should reply with some light-hearted quip.
taunt /tɔːnt $ tɒːnt/ a comment intended to make someone angry or upset:
The fans made racist taunts throughout the game.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

tease to laugh at someone and make jokes in order to have fun by embarrassing them, either in a friendly way or in an unkind way. In everyday English, people often say make fun of rather than tease:
At work, we all tease her because she’s always late.
Sam’s sisters used to tease him because he was overweight.
make fun of somebody/something to tease someone, especially in an unkind way, by laughing at something they do and making them seem stupid:
The boys at school used to make fun of me and call me names.
Everyone made fun of the way our Maths teacher walked.
taunt /tɔːnt tɔːnt/ to tease someone in a very unpleasant way that shows you do not respect them, in order to make them angry or upset:
In the end he hit the man for taunting him about his wife.
The other prisoners taunted him until he couldn’t bear it any more.
pull sb’s leg informal to tease someone in a friendly way, by trying to make them think something is true when it is not:
I’m not really 18. I was only pulling your leg.
I don’t believe you! You’re pulling my leg!
wind somebody up British English informal to deliberately say something to someone, in order to see if they become annoyed or worried:
Are you trying to wind me up?
My friends are always winding me up about it.
take the mickey (out of somebody) British English informal to make someone look silly, often in a friendly way, for example by copying them or saying something that you do not really mean about them:
I don’t speak like that – stop taking the mickey!
‘You’re a genius, we all know that!’ ‘Are you taking the mickey out of me?’
comment something that you say or write in order to give your opinion:
Does anyone have any comments?
Readers are invited to send in their comments and suggestions.
remark something that you say:
Just ignore them if they start making rude remarks.
I’m not sure what he meant by that last remark.
point something that someone mentions about a subject in a discussion, argument, article etc:
That’s an interesting point, Steve.
He raises (=mentions) a number of important points in his paper.
observation a comment in which you say what you think or have noticed about something:
Karl Marx made the observation that history repeats itself first as tragedy, second as farce.
aside a comment made in a low voice, that you intend only certain people to hear:
‘Is that true?’, she whispered in an aside to Don.
quip /kwɪp/ a clever and amusing comment:
She knew she should reply with some light-hearted quip.
dig informal a comment you make to annoy or criticize someone:
I’m tired of her little digs at me.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲