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
Enter the plucky Mabel, who uses experimental technology to Avatar her way into a fake beaver’s body and mobilize the animals into fighting for their homes.
—
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
Haq describes the experimental procedure as a minimally invasive brain surgery, where a small piece of a patient’s skull is removed, the stem cells are injected into their brain and the hole is closed.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
The athletes won’t be touching any of these experimental molecules during competition, and the reclassification will have to survive the scrutiny of the FDA expert advisory panel meeting that’s scheduled for July, but nevertheless, the games will serve as the best advertisement possible.
—Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 30 Apr. 2026
At the center of the show is Frances’s experimental documentary, Flat Earth, which takes the girls on a cross-country road trip, where red America and blue America begin to look like different brands of the same competing hallucination.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for experimental
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Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
Haq describes the experimental procedure as a minimally invasive brain surgery, where a small piece of a patient’s skull is removed, the stem cells are injected into their brain and the hole is closed.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
The athletes won’t be touching any of these experimental molecules during competition, and the reclassification will have to survive the scrutiny of the FDA expert advisory panel meeting that’s scheduled for July, but nevertheless, the games will serve as the best advertisement possible.
—Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 30 Apr. 2026
At the center of the show is Frances’s experimental documentary, Flat Earth, which takes the girls on a cross-country road trip, where red America and blue America begin to look like different brands of the same competing hallucination.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 30 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 2 May. 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
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