experimentalist

American  

[ik-sper-uh-ment-uhl-ist] / ɪkˌspɛr əˈmɛnt əl ɪst /

noun

1. a person who enjoys experimenting or trying new things, especially in the arts.

2. a scientist whose research relies on experiments or who is skilled in designing and conducting them.

3. a person who subscribes to philosophical empiricism.

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adjective

1. fond of experimenting or trying new things, especially in the arts.

2. of or relating to a scientific or philosophical emphasis on experiment or experience rather than theory.

Example Sentences

Prominent among these were ballets by Ms. Tharp, the one-time experimentalist modern-dance maker whose creations for ABT made up the opening bill.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025

Jones is a bold experimentalist in his fiction, employing a mashup of literary genres, often with horror as a key element.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

A muon collider’s ability to more clearly probe Higgs physics sets it apart, says Donatella Lucchesi, an experimentalist at the University of Padua and Italy’s National Institute of Nuclear Physics.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 27, 2024

So does De Keersmaeker, a respected experimentalist based in Brussels, who has turned to Bach several times over the course of her career.

From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2024

But he was an abysmal experimentalist; he lacked Mendel’s instinctive touch.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee