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
For instance, for her Coachella debut Tyla brought an experimental island flavor to the desert.
—
Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
The layoffs were so abrupt, staff said, that lab animals were left without staff to care for them and had to be euthanized, and an experimental mine used to test protective gear beneath the agency’s Pittsburgh campus was at risk of flooding and polluting the surrounding environment.
—Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 21 Apr. 2025
From Experiments To Enterprise-Wide Automation 2024 marked AI's experimental phase, with businesses testing isolated applications.
—Oleksandr Sheremeta, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Becca’s surviving twin sister, Terry (a dual-role Diane Kruger), a committed skeptic, suspects the nodes are tracking devices and that Becca’s experimental cancer treatment wasn’t on the up and up.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
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.
Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
The layoffs were so abrupt, staff said, that lab animals were left without staff to care for them and had to be euthanized, and an experimental mine used to test protective gear beneath the agency’s Pittsburgh campus was at risk of flooding and polluting the surrounding environment.
—Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 21 Apr. 2025
From Experiments To Enterprise-Wide Automation 2024 marked AI's experimental phase, with businesses testing isolated applications.
—Oleksandr Sheremeta, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Becca’s surviving twin sister, Terry (a dual-role Diane Kruger), a committed skeptic, suspects the nodes are tracking devices and that Becca’s experimental cancer treatment wasn’t on the up and up.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for experimental
Cite this Entry
“Experimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/experimental. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
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
Share