Meaning & use
experimental
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Based on new ideas or methods that are still being tested, rather than proven or widely accepted.
Grammar: Used before a noun: experimental treatment. Not usually used after a verb like 'be experimental'.
Patterns
- experimental treatment
- experimental method
- experimental study
Doctors are testing an experimental drug for the disease.
The lab uses experimental methods to study memory.
She wrote an experimental novel that breaks many traditional rules.
adjectivenot comparable
Relating to scientific experiments or the process of testing ideas.
Grammar: Used before a noun: experimental data. Not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- experimental data
- experimental design
- experimental error
The experimental results supported the hypothesis.
We need to check for experimental error before drawing conclusions.
Her experimental design was praised for its clarity.
Common combinations
- experimental drug
- The experimental drug showed promise in early trials.
- experimental evidence
- There is little experimental evidence to support the claim.
- experimental condition
- Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental condition or the control group.
- highly experimental
- The band's new album is highly experimental, with unusual sounds and structures.
Synonyms and how they differ
- trial
- Trial is often used in the phrase 'trial run' and focuses on testing something once, while experimental can describe an ongoing, broader approach.
- pilot
- Pilot describes a small-scale test before a full launch, whereas experimental can apply to any stage of testing new ideas.
- innovative
- Innovative means new and original, often successfully so, while experimental does not imply success—just that something is being tried.
Opposites
Word family
- experiment noun
- A scientific test to find out something.
- experiment verb
- To try new ideas or methods.
- experimentation noun
- The process of doing experiments.
- experimentally adverb
- In a way that involves experiments.
Commonly confused: experimental or experiential?
experimental vs experiential
Experiential means based on personal experience, while experimental means based on new, untested ideas or scientific tests.
Practice
The company is testing an ______ new material that could replace plastic.
Choose one answer.
Experimental fits because the material is new and being tested. Experiential would mean based on personal experience, experimented is a verb form, and experimentally is an adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “experimental”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.