exploratory

adjective

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

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 An exploratory committee has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on behalf of Jackson. — Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 8 July 2026 Jackson filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday to launch a Senate exploratory committee. — ABC News, 8 July 2026 What began as something loose and exploratory, from a budding musician who’s been writing songs since early adolescence, suddenly carried weight. — Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 6 July 2026 Graham could be among the first, depending on what his exploratory committee decides. — Josh Bergeron, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Exploratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploratory. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on exploratory

Nglish: Translation of exploratory for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All