clinical

[ klin-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. pertaining to a clinic.
2. concerned with or based on actual observation and treatment of disease in patients rather than experimentation or theory.
3. extremely objective and realistic; dispassionately analytic; unemotionally critical:

   She regarded him with clinical detachment.

4. pertaining to or used in a sickroom:

   a clinical bandage.

5. Ecclesiastical.
   1. (of a sacrament) administered on a deathbed or sickbed.
   2. (of a convert or conversion) made on a deathbed or sickbed.

clinical

/ ˈklɪnɪkəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a clinic
2. of or relating to the bedside of a patient, the course of his disease, or the observation and treatment of patients directly

   clinical medicine

   a clinical lecture

3. scientifically detached; strictly objective

   a clinical attitude to life

4. plain, simple, and usually unattractive

   clinical furniture

Derived Forms

• ˈclinically, adverb
• ˈclinicalness, noun

Other Words From

• clini·cal·ly adverb
• non·clini·cal adjective
• non·clini·cal·ly adverb
• over·clini·cal adjective
• over·clini·cal·ly adverb
• semi·clini·cal adjective
• semi·clini·cal·ly adverb
• un·clini·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of clinical¹

First recorded in 1770–80; clinic + -al ¹

Example Sentences

When her training was complete, Raderman, who hopes to become a clinical psychologist some day, volunteered for as many Teen Line shifts as she could get.

From Washington Post

For clinical trials with thousands of participants, testing is a tedious, time-consuming endeavor, and there aren’t many robust findings yet.

From Vox

Around 40% of vaccine candidates in efficacy tests, called phase 2 clinical trials, proved successful, a rate 10 times that of cancer drugs.

From MIT Technology Review

Using his clinical acumen as well as scientific judgment, he was able to combine the most effective medicines to achieve the landmark cure that galvanized the world of cancer.

From Washington Post

In the third week of 2021, clinical laboratories nationwide tested 23,549 specimens for influenza.

From FiveThirtyEight

In Psycho a psychiatrist (the young Simon Oakland) tells us in clinical terms what we've seen.

From The Daily Beast

“Your children are beautiful,” the audience member, who identified herself as a clinical social worker, began.

From The Daily Beast

As I described in an article over the summer when the fatal case in China was diagnosed, plague has three distinct clinical forms.

From The Daily Beast

Dr. Grenci obtained her doctorate in clinical sexology in 2007.

From The Daily Beast

She had enrolled at Maimonides University in North Miami Beach in order to work towards a degree in clinical sexology.

From The Daily Beast

Results are easily and quickly obtained, and are probably accurate enough for all clinical purposes.

From Project Gutenberg

Quantitative estimation does not furnish much of definite clinical value.

From Project Gutenberg

Quantitative estimation of the total sulphates yields little of clinical value.

From Project Gutenberg

It is at best an empirical test and must be interpreted in the light of clinical symptoms.

From Project Gutenberg

Clinical study of the blood may be discussed under the following heads: I. Hemoglobin.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• analytic
• impersonal
• scientific