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
Hockney’s paintings and drawings, as well as his later photo collages and digital works, invariably had a playful, exploratory, interrogative relationship with perspective, light, scale, framing, rendering—the basic components of picture-making.
—
Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
By the end of the trial, the mice displayed major improvements in movement, gait, coordination, and exploratory behavior.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 June 2026
Outdoor recreation improves mental health and cognitive clarity, strengthens immune and heart function and supports healthy childhood development through free and exploratory play.
—Jessica Turner, USA Today, 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
See All Example Sentences for exploratory
Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
By the end of the trial, the mice displayed major improvements in movement, gait, coordination, and exploratory behavior.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 June 2026
Outdoor recreation improves mental health and cognitive clarity, strengthens immune and heart function and supports healthy childhood development through free and exploratory play.
—Jessica Turner, USA Today, 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
See All Example Sentences for exploratory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploratory
Adjective
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The group’s commercial success in later years eclipsed the band’s experimental origins.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
17 June 2026
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As a member of the Kang Research Group, Moitri brings exceptional skill in experimental design, data analysis, and advanced biological research.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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The defender, who is currently playing with Morocco at the World Cup after winning the Champions League for a second straight year with PSG, had appealed a February decision by an investigative judge.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 June 2026
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An investigation of that scope would likely have generated substantial records, including investigative reports, emails and financial analyses.—
Daniel Ruetenik,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Adjective
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For companies and capital allocators alike, treating fundamental science as a speculative luxury rather than a core strategic imperative is a critical misstep.—
Alexandra Vidyuk,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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More than $233 million worth of the perp changed hands over the past 24 hours, while open interest climbed above $263 million, indicating sustained speculative demand.—
Ashley Capoot,CJ Haddad,Samantha Subin,Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
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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Becchina said preliminary information indicated the man and another person had been arguing in an apartment.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
19 June 2026
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Netanyahu has remained quiet publicly about the preliminary deal.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Adjective
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The cycle resembled theoretical versions of a Big Bang followed by a Big Crunch, a scenario in which the universe’s expansion eventually reverses.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 June 2026
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Though theoretical predictions suggest quantum systems could accelerate AI optimization tasks by 10^6 or more for specific problem classes, quantum machine learning remains experimental.—
Chuck Brooks,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exploratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploratory. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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