Meaning
- Heuristic refers to a method or approach that helps in problem-solving, learning, or decision-making through practical techniques, experience, or trial-and-error rather than following a strict formula.
- It can be used as both an adjective (describing a method) and a noun (referring to the method itself).
Grammar and Usage
-
As an adjective: describes an approach or method.
- heuristic method, heuristic process
-
As a noun: refers to a rule of thumb or practical strategy.
- a useful heuristic, apply a heuristic
Typical patterns:
- Adjective: "This is a heuristic approach to solving the problem."
- Noun: "We used a heuristic to narrow down the options."
Common Phrases
- heuristic approach
- heuristic method
- heuristic technique
- apply a heuristic
- heuristic learning
Collocations
- Noun + heuristic: problem-solving heuristic, decision-making heuristic
- Verb + heuristic: apply a heuristic, develop a heuristic, use a heuristic
- Adjective + heuristic: simple heuristic, powerful heuristic, practical heuristic
Examples
- The teacher used a heuristic approach to encourage students to discover answers on their own.
- Doctors often rely on heuristics when making quick decisions under pressure.
- This rule of thumb is a useful heuristic for estimating project timelines.
- The software applies a heuristic algorithm to detect spam emails.
- Instead of following strict rules, she used a heuristic method to guide her research.
- Many investors depend on heuristics to simplify complex financial choices.
- The experiment was guided by a heuristic principle rather than a proven theory.
- Students benefit from heuristic learning because it fosters independence.
Synonyms or Related
- Rule of thumb
- Guideline
- Shortcut
- Approximation
- Practical method
- Intuition-based approach