exploratory

adjective

Definition of exploratorynext
as in experimental
done or created to find something or to learn more about something exploratory drilling for oil

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of exploratory The exploratory committee will take about a year to complete its work. — ABC News, 21 June 2026 Under the current arrangement, Core Power is financing the initial exploratory work. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 18 June 2026 These may be creative or sensory in nature, and can be more structured and therapist-led, or child-directed and exploratory depending on the child’s needs. — Hannah Silverman, Parents, 17 June 2026 The production on Infinite Black Inside might be considered an evolution of the exploratory Brighton sound developed by Alfa and his peers, shored up by live and sampled instruments. — H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for exploratory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploratory
  1. experimental
  2. investigative
  3. speculative
  4. tentative
  5. preliminary
  6. theoretical
Adjective
  • To verify what was happening inside the material, the team combined several experimental techniques.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026
  • All three have released solo albums that further expand their palettes, moving into ambient (Vida), experimental (Stardrum), and singer/songwriter (Epstein) realms.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 3 July 2026
Definition of experimental
Adjective
  • The single news event that has defined an era of investigative reporting over the last 50 years was the Watergate scandal from 1972-1974, which led President Nixon to resign from office.
    — Andrew Lack, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • That lawsuit, which was filed in 2024 and is ongoing, says that the investigative reports left out key details related to the former employees’ claims.
    — Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026
Definition of investigative
Adjective
  • Meanwhile literary fiction and in particular speculative fiction proves fertile for probing worst case scenarios in a world where technology outpaces human innovation.
    — Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • The speculative boom has faded, estimates have become more realistic, and collectors who once competed aggressively for rare Burgundy and Bordeaux wines are taking their time.
    — George Nelson for ArtNews, Robb Report, 9 July 2026
Definition of speculative
Adjective
  • As the situation in the south has calmed under a tentative truce, Hamza is waiting for the animals’ owners to return and reclaim them.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
  • Warsh’s tentative first steps in the role are being scrutinized perhaps more than any Fed chair in history.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 July 2026
Definition of tentative
Adjective
  • In a report, the agency's staff recommends that the commission approve the preliminary site and building plans for the arch.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
  • Attorneys argued back and forth on the matter for hours in a Utah courtroom on July 8 during a weeklong preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 July 2026
Definition of preliminary
Adjective
  • The idea remained largely theoretical until institutional acceptance of crypto, a friendlier regulatory environment and war in the Middle East pushed oil back to the center of investor attention just as Energy Substantiation prepared to launch.
    — Mia Gindis, Fortune, 9 July 2026
  • James DiFrisco, a philosopher of theoretical biology at the Francis Crick Institute in London, thinks not.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 8 July 2026
Definition of theoretical

Browse Nearby Words

explorations
exploratory
explore
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Cite this Entry

“Exploratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploratory. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of exploratory for Spanish Speakers

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