clinical
adjective
clin·i·cal
ˈkli-ni-kəl 
1
: of, relating to, or conducted in or as if in a clinic: such as
a
: involving direct observation of the patient
clinical diagnosis
b
: based on or characterized by observable and diagnosable symptoms
clinical treatment
clinical tuberculosis
2
: analytical or coolly dispassionate
describing the situation with clinical detachment
3
US, informal
: done or performed with excellence and precision : exemplary
In the meantime Bryant … continued his clinical shooting, which has allowed him to more than double his scoring average …—
Alexander Wolff
Alexander WolffExamples of clinical in a Sentence
Both experimental and clinical evidence show that the treatment is effective.
She enjoys her clinical practice but is looking forward to working in a laboratory.
Three hundred patients were involved in the clinical study.
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Therapy dogs with the nonprofit also help children learn to read and assist in clinical therapy settings.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Such distress can affect your sleep — even to the point of nightmares, said sleep specialist Jennifer Mundt, a clinical associate professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of Utah’s Sleep Wake Center.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
The study was done mainly in cell cultures and mice, not humans, so clinical safety and dosage need testing.
—New Atlas, 30 Oct. 2025
Critics argue that Means doesn't possess the leadership or clinical experience typically expected from the surgeon general, who is regarded as the nation's top doctor.
—NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
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Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Such distress can affect your sleep — even to the point of nightmares, said sleep specialist Jennifer Mundt, a clinical associate professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of Utah’s Sleep Wake Center.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
The study was done mainly in cell cultures and mice, not humans, so clinical safety and dosage need testing.
—New Atlas, 30 Oct. 2025
Critics argue that Means doesn't possess the leadership or clinical experience typically expected from the surgeon general, who is regarded as the nation's top doctor.
—NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clinical
Cite this Entry
“Clinical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clinical. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clinical
adjective
clin·i·cal
ˈklin-i-kəl
1
: of, relating to, or conducted in or as if in a clinic
clinical examination
2
: involving or based on direct observation of the patient
clinical studies
Medical Definition
clinical
adjective
clin·i·cal
ˈklin-i-kəl
: of, relating to, or conducted in or as if in a clinic: as
a
: involving or concerned with the direct observation and treatment of living patients
engaged in full-time clinical practice
clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology
b
: of, relating to, based on, or characterized by observable and diagnosable symptoms of disease
the clinical picture on admission was that of mild depression in an extremely rigid personality—Occupational Therapy & Rehabilitation
Occupational Therapy & Rehabilitationthree of these six foods were actually the cause of symptoms, and upon their elimination, clinical cure was effected—Journal of Pediatrics
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