clinical

American  

[klin-i-kuhl] / ˈklɪn ɪ kəl /

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.

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clinical British  

/ 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

   a clinical lecture

   clinical medicine

3. scientifically detached; strictly objective

   a clinical attitude to life

4. plain, simple, and usually unattractive

   clinical furniture

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Other Word Forms

• clinically adverb
• clinicalness noun
• nonclinical adjective
• nonclinically adverb
• overclinical adjective
• overclinically adverb
• semiclinical adjective
• semiclinically adverb
• unclinical adjective

Etymology

Origin of clinical

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

Explanation

Something that's clinical is based on or connected to the study of patients. Clinical medications have actually been used by real people, not just studied theoretically. When you hear about clinical drug trials, you'll know there are patients taking them and being observed — this type of test can be called clinical research. Another way to use this adjective is to mean "emotionally cold" or "impersonal." If you have a choice between a detached, clinical French teacher and a warm, charming one, you might be more likely to choose the latter. This second meaning of clinical, from the mid-1920s, originally meant "as unemotional as a medical report."

Example Sentences

While further studies and clinical trials are still needed, the results highlight the potential for treatments that harness and enhance the body's own defenses.

From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026

Melle was reinstated to clinical duties in January following a private disciplinary meeting which ruled she will face no further action over the alleged breach.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

“Ultimately, the key will be demonstrating that this translates to better clinical efficacy—progression-free survival and overall survival benefits—in later-stage studies,” the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Ideaya Biosciences surged 13% after the biotechnology company released positive, statistically significant results from a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of a combination therapy in patients with a rare form of eye cancer.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

“The first phase of clinical trials on humans started just eighteen months ago.”

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Related Words

• analytic
• impersonal
• scientific