1
as in developmental
made or done as an experiment
an experimental procedure for patients suffering from leukemia
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in empirical
based on observation or experience
asserted that experimental knowledge is vastly superior to idle speculation and theorizing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of experimental
Your background is in techno and experimental music.
—
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
The new superintendent will help implement Frisco Flex, an experimental online and hybrid program the district launched to attract students outside of Frisco.
—Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
That’s the question Mexican American experimental musician Delia Beatriz, aka Debit, asks on her recent album Desaceleradas, an homage to—and reinterpretation of—the subgenre that came to be known as cumbia rebajada.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 7 Jan. 2026
Measurements of representational similarity invariably involve a host of experimental choices that can affect the outcome.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for experimental
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
The new superintendent will help implement Frisco Flex, an experimental online and hybrid program the district launched to attract students outside of Frisco.
—Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
That’s the question Mexican American experimental musician Delia Beatriz, aka Debit, asks on her recent album Desaceleradas, an homage to—and reinterpretation of—the subgenre that came to be known as cumbia rebajada.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 7 Jan. 2026
Measurements of representational similarity invariably involve a host of experimental choices that can affect the outcome.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for experimental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for experimental
Adjective
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Player retention is never going to dominate headlines like player acquisition during college’s version of free agency, but TCU head coach Sonny Dykes has stuck to his vision of wanting the Horned Frogs to be a developmental program.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Jan. 2026
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Changes in physical traits like these can arise through multiple pathways, including genetic evolution, developmental plasticity, or selection acting on existing variation within a population.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Assorted arguments, testimony and empirical evidence regarding Title IX haven’t been scrutinized and arguably fall outside the scope of the litigation.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
5 Jan. 2026
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As my colleague Rogé Karma explained last year, however, essentially the entire weight of empirical economic evidence suggests that this theory has never been true in practice.—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Parker Thayer, an investigative researcher at the Capital Research Center, told the Washington Examiner that Bowers’s ouster should be viewed as a warning sign.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Dinner recently completed a months-long investigative report.—
Space.com Staff,
Space.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Campos and her colleagues stress that their role is strictly observational — never to interfere.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Because of this alignment, Regulus has played an important role in both observational astronomy and ancient sky calendars.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Having direct knowledge of the volcano provides a much more objective sense of the limits of their analysis, Calò said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Jan. 2026
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An independent campus security risk assessment conducted by outside experts provides an objective review of vulnerabilities that internal reviews may miss.—
Rick Pozniak,
Boston Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Ultimately, the appeals court affirmed the district court’s grant of a preliminary injunction to Hecox, but vacated the injunction applied to the rest of the state.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Jan. 2026
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He’s scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on Monday.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The governor said New York has already certified 5,000 teens and 3,000 adults through a pilot version of the same program.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
5 Jan. 2026
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The pilot in command, 53-year-old Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah from Penang, joined Malaysia Airlines as a cadet pilot in 1981, while the co-pilot, 27-year-old First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid, was completing his final training flight with Flight 370.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Experimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/experimental. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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