preclinical

adjective

pre·​clin·​i·​cal (ˌ)prē-ˈkli-ni-kəl How to pronounce preclinical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or concerned with the period preceding clinical manifestations
2
: of, relating to, or being the period in medical or dental education preceding the clinical study of medicine or dentistry
3
: occurring prior to clinical testing
a preclinical animal study of a new therapy

Examples of preclinical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Published in the journal Science, the preclinical research involved experiments on mice that were later confirmed with human cells. Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025 Possibilities include accelerating drug discovery, augmenting preclinical or clinical research, predicting potential product quality issues and optimizing testing protocols. Aman Wasan, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025 According to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research, THCA has shown promise in preclinical studies for inflammation and neuroprotection. Matt Rozo, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2025 Additionally, obesity and preclinical obesity, affecting nearly three-quarters of adults, are risk factors to developing heart disease. Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for preclinical

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of preclinical was in 1876

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Cite this Entry

“Preclinical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preclinical. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Medical Definition

preclinical

adjective
pre·​clin·​i·​cal (ˈ)prē-ˈklin-i-kəl How to pronounce preclinical (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, concerned with, or being the period preceding clinical manifestations
the preclinical stage of diabetes mellitus
b
: occurring prior to a clinical trial
preclinical animal testing to assess a drug's safety
2
: of, relating to, or being the period in medical or dental education preceding the clinical study of medicine or dentistry
the preclinical years
specifically : of or relating to the early period of prescribed medical or dental study devoted to the basic sciences (as anatomy, physiology, and pathology)
preclinical studies
3
: of, relating to, or being a science basic to medicine
research in the preclinical sciences
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