examination

[ig-zam-uh-ney-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of examining; inspection; inquiry; investigation.

   Synonyms: observation

2. the state of being examined.

3. the act or process of testing pupils, candidates, etc., as by questions.

4. the test itself; the list of questions asked.

5. the answers, statements, etc., made by one examined.

6. Law.,  formal interrogation.

examination

/ ɪɡˌzæmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of examining or state of being examined

2. education

   1. written exercises, oral questions, or practical tasks, set to test a candidate's knowledge and skill

   2. ( as modifier )

      an examination paper

3. med

   1. physical inspection of a patient or parts of his body, in order to verify health or diagnose disease

   2. laboratory study of secretory or excretory products, tissue samples, etc, esp in order to diagnose disease

4. law the formal interrogation of a person on oath, esp of an accused or a witness

Other Word Forms

• examinational adjective
• preexamination noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of examination¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English examinacioun, from Middle French, Old French examinacion, examination, “interrogation,” from Latin exāminātiōn- (stem of exāminātiō ). See examine, -ation

Synonym Study

Examination, inspection, scrutiny refer to a looking at something. An examination usually means a careful noting of details: A thorough examination of the plumbing revealed a defective pipe. An inspection is a formal and official examination: an inspection of records, a military inspection. Scrutiny implies a critical and minutely detailed examination: The papers seemed to be in good order, but they would not stand close scrutiny. See also investigation.

Example Sentences

And Farrell sees Saturday's contest with the back-to-back World Cup winners as a robust examination for his squad in their final game before the 2026 Six Nations.

Read more on BBC

As private-credit assets balloon and grow increasingly entwined with the banking system, a Federal Reserve official is calling for a closer examination of the funds that make the private-credit industry run.

Read more on Barron's

It provides the most exhaustive examination yet into how and when fire officials responded to the Eaton and Palisades fires.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Toxicology labs face significant challenges when trying to quickly develop tests for emerging drugs like 7-OH for use in post-mortem medical examinations, Papsun said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The agency added that investigators and experts "will soon carry out all necessary examinations and identify the repatriated bodies".

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• audit 
• checking www.thesaurus.com
• checkup 
• cross-examination www.thesaurus.com
• diagnosis 
• experiment 
• exploration 
• inquiry 
• inspection 
• interrogation 
• investigation 
• observation 
• probe 
• questioning 
• questionnaire 
• raid 
• research 
• review 
• scan 
• scrutiny