clinical
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to a clinic.
-
concerned with or based on actual observation and treatment of disease in patients rather than experimentation or theory.
-
extremely objective and realistic; dispassionately analytic; unemotionally critical.
She regarded him with clinical detachment.
-
pertaining to or used in a sickroom.
a clinical bandage.
-
Ecclesiastical.
-
(of a sacrament) administered on a deathbed or sickbed.
-
(of a convert or conversion) made on a deathbed or sickbed.
-
adjective
-
of or relating to a clinic
-
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
-
scientifically detached; strictly objective
a clinical attitude to life
-
plain, simple, and usually unattractive
clinical furniture
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of clinical
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."
Vocabulary lists containing clinical
"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Just Mercy
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
National Nurses Week: Common Medical Terms
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Inhibrx CEO Mark Lappe said the company was “greatly encouraged by these early clinical results.”
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
Moving to Los Angeles at 23, she initially served as a clinical interpreter and court interpreter.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
No objective cutoff distinguishes ordinary worry from clinical anxiety, or grief from clinical depression.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
In a clinical trial, the medication lubiprostone appeared to slow the decline of kidney function in patients with moderate CKD, raising hopes for an entirely new approach to kidney disease treatment.
From Science Daily • May 8, 2026
I'm afraid—from what I know about clinical cases like yours—that you may end up a psychosomatic invalid like Elizabeth B. Browning.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
