adjective/noun · academic
heuristic
/hjuːˈrɪstɪk/heu·RIS·tic
involving a practical method or approach to problem-solving based on experience or trial-and-error rather than fixed rules
Examples
“The course introduced heuristic techniques to help learners solve unfamiliar problems.”
“A heuristic approach can speed up decision-making in complex tasks.”
“Teachers encourage heuristic thinking during project work.”
Band 8 sentence
“A heuristic framework often yields practical solutions where algorithmic methods are infeasible due to complexity.”
Collocations
- heuristic method
- heuristic technique
Word family
Common mistakes
trial and error→heuristic
logical method→heuristic method
Say it for a higher band
5trial and error→6rule-of-thumb→7+heuristic
Synonyms
rule-of-thumb
trial-and-error
Easily confused
algorithmic
“An algorithmic solution guarantees the same output for the same input every time.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Education & Study
Learn it with its set