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
Collins told the students to gather a few clusters and leaves for a pre-smoke sampling but to avoid vines with pink or orange tags, as these had been treated with an experimental barrier spray.
—
Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
The pill appears to be slightly more effective than Eli Lilly’s experimental oral drug, which does not have dietary restrictions.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
Plans include a solid-state battery materials experimental line, equipped with high-precision characterization instruments and intelligent control systems, with 103 pieces of equipment set for procurement.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 3 Jan. 2026
Lilly said in December that in a Phase 3 clinical trial, patients taking the highest dose of the experimental injection lost nearly 29% of their body weight on average after about 16 months — more than has been seen with any GLP-1 drug currently on the market.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for experimental
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Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
The pill appears to be slightly more effective than Eli Lilly’s experimental oral drug, which does not have dietary restrictions.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
Plans include a solid-state battery materials experimental line, equipped with high-precision characterization instruments and intelligent control systems, with 103 pieces of equipment set for procurement.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 3 Jan. 2026
Lilly said in December that in a Phase 3 clinical trial, patients taking the highest dose of the experimental injection lost nearly 29% of their body weight on average after about 16 months — more than has been seen with any GLP-1 drug currently on the market.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for experimental
Cite this Entry
“Experimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/experimental. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
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
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