animal model

noun

: an animal sufficiently like humans in its anatomy, physiology, or response to a pathogen to be used in medical research in order to obtain results that can be extrapolated to human medicine

also : a pathological or physiological condition that occurs in such an animal and is similar to one occurring in humans

Examples of animal model in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Why the Case for Eating Oysters Isn’t Settled Every finding above comes from cell cultures or animal models, not human eating trials. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 29 July 2026

Everything so far has happened in animal models, so there’s no version of this available in a dental office yet. — Allison Palmer july 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 July 2026

These chatty little birds are a popular animal model for studying communication, but most research focuses on the males’ complicated songs. — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 26 June 2026

Queen says more experiments are needed, including looking at more long-term longitudinal data and identifying causal relationships in animal models with specific bacterial strains. — Joseph Kim, NPR, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for animal model

• caudal
• caudle
• dawdle
• twaddle
• waddle
• remodel

Medical Definition

animal model

noun

: an animal sufficiently like humans in its anatomy, physiology, or response to a pathogen to be used in medical research in order to obtain results that can be extrapolated to human medicine

also : a pathological or physiological condition that occurs in such an animal and is similar (as in its pathology or physiology) to a human condition

experimental allergic encephalomyelitis is a useful animal model in the study of multiple sclerosis in humans