Word.ws English Dictionary

heuristics

Syllables: heu·ris·tics/hjuˈɹɪstɪks/US/hjuˈɹɪstɪks/

heuristics is the plural of heuristic.

Noun

heuristics pl (plural only)

  1. (plural, plural-only) The study of heuristic methods and principles.
  2. (plural, plural-only) Heuristic methods and approaches considered collectively.
    • Problem solving based on experience of working with other problems which share some characteristics of the current problem, but for which no algorithm is known. Good heuristics can reduce the time needed to solve problems by recognizing which possible approaches are unlikely to be successful....2009, Clapham, Christopher; James Nicholson; James R. Nicholson, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics
  3. (broadly, plural, plural-only) Simple, efficient rules which people often use to form judgments and make decisions.
  4. (broadly, plural, plural-only) Experience-based methods used to reduce the need for calculations pertaining to equipment size, performance, or operating conditions.

Meaning of heuristic

Noun

heuristic (plural heuristics)

  1. A heuristic method.
  2. The art of applying heuristic methods.
  3. A heuristic algorithm or method.

See all 6 meanings of heuristic

Origin of heuristics

From heuristic, from German heuristisch, from New Latin heuristicus by irregular formation from Ancient Greek εὑρίσκω (heurískō, “I discover”).

Words formed from heuristics

Questions about heuristics

What does heuristics mean?
Heuristics means the study of heuristic methods and principles.
What is heuristics the plural of?
Heuristics is the plural of heuristic.
What part of speech is heuristics?
Heuristics is a noun.
How do you pronounce heuristics?
Heuristics is pronounced /hjuˈɹɪstɪks/ (UK).

Words near heuristics in the dictionary

  1. heurisms
  2. heuristic
  3. heuristical
  4. heuristicality
  5. heuristically
  6. heuristics
  7. Heusden
  8. Heuser
  9. Heusers
  10. Heusler
  11. Heusler alloy

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: heuristics (page history and authors); heuristic (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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