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

clinically

ˈkli-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples 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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Universities underpay clinical and adjunct faculty to subsidize (too often) unproductive tenured faculty. —Byscott Galloway, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024

Scientists who study the biology of aging have designed a clinical study of metformin to test whether its anti-inflammatory effects can help promote a longer, healthier lifespan. —Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024

From there, as Jeremy A. Weingarten, MD, director of the Center for Sleep Disorders at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, tells SELF: Tolerance can also become a part of that equation. —Ali Finney, SELF, 19 Apr. 2024

The Company is seeking potential acquirers for its remaining preclinical and clinical assets. —Charlotte Observer, 19 Apr. 2024

Unlike sensitive patient data obtained from medical devices in clinical settings, which are protected by federal health law, the data surrounding consumer neurotechnologies go largely unregulated, Mr. Genser said. —Jonathan Moens, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024

After graduation, Maddi began working at the Mayo Clinic and became a clinical research coordinator. —Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2024

Working in tandem in this ultra-concentrated plumping serum, the ingredients effectively quench thirsty skin for long-lasting intense hydration, according to the brand’s clinical studies. —Danielle Cohen, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2024

The inspectors’ latest trek, in February, yielded the usual matrices of readings and measurements, couched in the clinical language of a U.N. nuclear watchdog report. —Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing clinical

• clinical depression
• clinical psychologist
• clinical psychology
• clinical thermometer
• clinical trial

Kids 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

clinically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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

three of these six foods were actually the cause of symptoms, and upon their elimination, clinical cure was effected

—Journal of Pediatrics

clinically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

a clinically significant infection

clinically effective therapies