Occam's razor

Oc·cam's razor  (kmz)

n.

Variant of Ockham's razor.

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Occam's razor or Ockham's razor  (kmz)

A rule in science and philosophy stating that entities should not be multiplied needlessly. This rule is interpreted to mean that the simplest of two or more competing theories is preferable and that an explanation for unknown phenomena should first be attempted in terms of what is already known. Occam's razor is named after the deviser of the rule, English philosopher and theologian William of Ockham (1285?-1349?).

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

Occam's Razor - the principle that entities should not be multiplied needlessly; the simplest of two competing theories is to be preferred law of parsimony, Ockham's Razor, principle of parsimony principle, rule - a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system; "the principle of the conservation of mass"; "the principle of jet propulsion"; "the right-hand rule for inductive fields"