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controlled experiment

American

noun

an experiment or trial that uses controls, usually separating the subjects into one or more control groups and experimental groups.

Etymology

Origin of controlled experiment

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To explore these effects, researchers recruited 36 participants for a controlled experiment.

From Science Daily • May 3, 2026

To isolate the issue, Duffy and Li designed a controlled experiment with people ages 45 to 55.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Note: This was a carefully controlled experiment, run by doctors.

From NewsForKids.net • Apr. 30, 2024

In a field perpetually seeking to tease out the effects of genetics, environment and life experience, they provide a natural controlled experiment as their paths diverge, subtly or dramatically, through adulthood.

From New York Times • Mar. 6, 2024

In a perfect world, an economist could run a controlled experiment just as a physicist or a biologist does: setting up two samples, randomly manipulating one of them, and measuring the effect.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023