as in experimental
done or created to find something or to learn more about something
exploratory drilling for oil
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Recent Examples of exploratory
These are not exploratory inquiries.
—
Imri Marcus, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
To confirm that your potatoes are ready for harvest, do a little exploratory digging and check the skin.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 1 June 2026
Much of what many companies are spending on AI right now is exploratory, not transformative.
—Gil Mandelzis, Fortune, 27 May 2026
The vehicle can carry two astronauts side-by-side who can easily get in and out of the vehicle for exploratory missions.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for exploratory
Imri Marcus, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
To confirm that your potatoes are ready for harvest, do a little exploratory digging and check the skin.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 1 June 2026
Much of what many companies are spending on AI right now is exploratory, not transformative.
—Gil Mandelzis, Fortune, 27 May 2026
The vehicle can carry two astronauts side-by-side who can easily get in and out of the vehicle for exploratory missions.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for exploratory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploratory
Adjective
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Five orphaned black bears from Nevada, El Dorado and Calaveras counties survived winter hibernation and were healthy and active following an experimental rehabilitation effort, California wildlife officials said.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
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This year’s 10-day-long edition brought together an international slate of independent films across narrative, documentary, animation, experimental and short-form categories.—
Matt Minton,
Variety,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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That’s why Llamas spearheaded the creation of a new investigative NBC News series, Cost of Denial, which takes an in-depth look at families who’ve had critical medical care or medication denied by their insurance companies — and the toll it’s taken on them.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
11 Dec. 2025
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The plaintiffs are also sparring with Ohio State over the admissibility of documents related to the 2019 investigative report by law firm Perkins Coie, which conducted OSU’s independent review of the Strauss scandal.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
11 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Procter & Gamble is our newest name, added to the portfolio last month as a way to add exposure to an economically resilient company that could benefit from a rotation away from speculative bets.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
8 Dec. 2025
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The stablecoin boom reflects how institutional investors and asset managers are becoming less focused on the speculative nature of crypto and toward what can actually be built now that the pipes actually work and the advantages of faster, cheaper, and more secure rails are becoming clear.—
Pete Najarian,
Fortune,
7 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Trump says the text of the tentative deal will likely be publicly released after a signing ceremony scheduled for Friday.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
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Last week, the Directors Guild of America became the latest of Hollywood’s major unions to enshrine new AI protections into its tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers following deals made with SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America.—
Corbin Bolies,
Variety,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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The National Weather Service said tornadoes had been confirmed in mostly rural areas southwest of Chicago, with some preliminary reports of buildings damaged in Streator, a manufacturing and farm city about 100 miles away.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
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This was a preliminary, phase one clinical trial, so there was still a long way to go to confirm that this approach really could achieve what its inventors hoped—stopping an invader dead in its tracks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Banerjee compared it to choosing a route based on common travel paths rather than drawing a theoretical straight line between two cities.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Dec. 2025
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Part of its problem is theoretical.—
MICHAEL KIMMAGE,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exploratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploratory. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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