experimental
adjective
ex·per·i·men·tal
ik-ˌsper-ə-ˈmen-tᵊl 
also -ˌspir-
1
: of, relating to, or based on experience or experiment
2
a
: serving the ends of or used as a means of experimentation
an experimental school
b
: relating to or having the characteristics of experiment : tentative
still in the experimental stage
Examples of experimental in a Sentence
The fuel is being used on an experimental basis.
an experimental procedure for patients suffering from leukemia
Recent Examples on the Web
The Service’s regional headquarters will vanish, along with most of its research facilities and experimental forests—and also quite likely the sense of mission that has animated the agency for more than a century.
—
Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
Amy’s ex-husband Michael (Omar Metwally) and the team work tirelessly to help her and the other patients but their experimental treatments fail and Amy becomes critically ill.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026
Eisenberg’s albums under their own name tend toward the more introspective, though no less experimental.
—Reed Jackson, SPIN, 6 Apr. 2026
The experimental treatment would use CRISPR, a gene-editing tool likened to biological scissors, to make precise cuts in the DNA to turn off a liver gene that prevents lipids — fatty substances including LDL cholesterol and triglycerides — from being cleared from the blood.
—David Cox, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for experimental
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.
Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
Amy’s ex-husband Michael (Omar Metwally) and the team work tirelessly to help her and the other patients but their experimental treatments fail and Amy becomes critically ill.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026
Eisenberg’s albums under their own name tend toward the more introspective, though no less experimental.
—Reed Jackson, SPIN, 6 Apr. 2026
The experimental treatment would use CRISPR, a gene-editing tool likened to biological scissors, to make precise cuts in the DNA to turn off a liver gene that prevents lipids — fatty substances including LDL cholesterol and triglycerides — from being cleared from the blood.
—David Cox, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for experimental
Cite this Entry
“Experimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/experimental. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
experimental
adjective
ex·per·i·men·tal
ik-ˌsper-ə-ˈment-ᵊl
1
a
: of, relating to, or based on experience or experiment
experimental evidence
b
: subjected to the condition that is different from normal for a factor being tested in an experiment
the experimental group
2
: relating to or having the characteristics of experiment : tentative sense 1
still in the experimental stage
Medical Definition
experimental
adjective
ex·per·i·men·tal
ik-ˌsper-ə-ˈment-ᵊl also -ˌspir-
1
: of, relating to, or based on experience or experiment
2
: founded on or derived from experiment
the heart of the experimental method is the direct control of the thing studied—B. F. Skinner
B. F. Skinner3
of a disease
: intentionally produced especially in laboratory animals for the purpose of study
experimental diabetes
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
