experimental
adjective
ex·per·i·men·tal
ik-ˌsper-ə-ˈmen-tᵊl 
also -ˌspir-
1
: of, relating to, or based on experience or experiment
2
a
: serving the ends of or used as a means of experimentation
an experimental school
b
: relating to or having the characteristics of experiment : tentative
still in the experimental stage
Examples of experimental in a Sentence
The fuel is being used on an experimental basis.
an experimental procedure for patients suffering from leukemia
Recent Examples on the Web
Analyzing the experimental data took another decade.
—
Charlie Wood, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2024
Anchored by three arresting performances and playfully experimental direction, Challengers is fresh, exhilarating, and energetic.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
The phase 1 clinical trial, led by researchers in the United Kingdom and Denmark, found that the experimental vaccine was safe and induced an immune response.
—Akshay Syal, M.d., NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Still, Sasquatch Sunset is meant to be experimental in structure and experiential by design, letting viewers walk a mile in these creatures’ XXL footsteps and seeing the beauty and horror of nature as these often gentle giants do.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
According to Cheuk, the New York publishing scene often shies away from experimental literature.
—Emily St Martin, Orange County Register, 9 Apr. 2024
In the ’10s, he’s seen in more experimental outfits that still somehow felt very Pharrell with experimental prints and textures, especially red plaid, satin jackets, tall hats, and Chanel tweed jackets.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 5 Apr. 2024
Last year, YouTube partnered with UMG and Warner Music Group to launch an experimental AI feature called Dream Track, which turned text prompts into AI songs featuring the cloned vocals of artists like Demi Lovato, Charlie Puth and Charli XCX.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Instead, the backdoor only made its way to the Red Hat Fedora 40 beta and Fedora Rawhide, along with experimental distributions for Debian.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
Charlie Wood, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2024
Anchored by three arresting performances and playfully experimental direction, Challengers is fresh, exhilarating, and energetic.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
The phase 1 clinical trial, led by researchers in the United Kingdom and Denmark, found that the experimental vaccine was safe and induced an immune response.
—Akshay Syal, M.d., NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Still, Sasquatch Sunset is meant to be experimental in structure and experiential by design, letting viewers walk a mile in these creatures’ XXL footsteps and seeing the beauty and horror of nature as these often gentle giants do.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
According to Cheuk, the New York publishing scene often shies away from experimental literature.
—Emily St Martin, Orange County Register, 9 Apr. 2024
In the ’10s, he’s seen in more experimental outfits that still somehow felt very Pharrell with experimental prints and textures, especially red plaid, satin jackets, tall hats, and Chanel tweed jackets.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 5 Apr. 2024
Last year, YouTube partnered with UMG and Warner Music Group to launch an experimental AI feature called Dream Track, which turned text prompts into AI songs featuring the cloned vocals of artists like Demi Lovato, Charlie Puth and Charli XCX.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Instead, the backdoor only made its way to the Red Hat Fedora 40 beta and Fedora Rawhide, along with experimental distributions for Debian.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'experimental.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to experimental
Dictionary Entries Near experimental
Cite this Entry
“Experimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/experimental. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
experimental
adjective
ex·per·i·men·tal
ik-ˌsper-ə-ˈment-ᵊl
1
a
: of, relating to, or based on experience or experiment
experimental evidence
b
: subjected to the condition that is different from normal for a factor being tested in an experiment
the experimental group
2
: relating to or having the characteristics of experiment : tentative sense 1
still in the experimental stage
Medical Definition
experimental
adjective
ex·per·i·men·tal
ik-ˌsper-ə-ˈment-ᵊl also -ˌspir-
1
: of, relating to, or based on experience or experiment
2
: founded on or derived from experiment
the heart of the experimental method is the direct control of the thing studied—B. F. Skinner
B. F. Skinner3
of a disease
: intentionally produced especially in laboratory animals for the purpose of study
experimental diabetes
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share