clinically

American  

[kli-nik-lee] / ˈklɪ nɪk li /

adverb

1. in a clinical way.

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Explanation

When a medication has been clinically proven, it's been tested on actual patients. Clinically can also describe a cold and detached manner, a personality better suited to robots than people. It's a good thing when doctors and scientists do things clinically, because they're not only using studies and statistics to make decisions — they're talking to and observing patients. On the other hand, when a doctor treats you clinically at your yearly appointment, she is efficient but aloof, rather than warm and welcoming. Clinically is from clinical, from the Latin clinicus, "physician who visits patients in their beds," with the Greek root klinike, "at the sickbed."

Example Sentences

But a more recent study, “Sperm concentration remains stable among fertile American men” published in January, found no clinically significant decline in sperm concentration among American men between 1970 and 2018.

From Salon • May 15, 2026

It still “plans to offer access to compounded GLP-1s if a provider determines that a compounded product is clinically necessary,” according to a company news release.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

Ranji dismissed the “scary-sounding” phrasing, noting that wearable data isn’t clinically reliable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Delayed discharges, which occur when a patient is clinically ready to leave a hospital but is forced to remain in a bed because necessary social care, support, or housing is unavailable, are incomparable.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

A Ranger report noted clinically, “One wagon sheet, one bed sheet, one pillow, used in shipping Ranger White’s body.”

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann