experimental
Americanadjective
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pertaining to, derived from, or founded on experiment.
an experimental science.
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of the nature of an experiment; tentative.
The new program is still in an experimental stage.
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functioning as an experiment or used for experimentation.
an experimental airplane.
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based on or derived from experience; empirical.
experimental knowledge.
noun
adjective
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relating to, based on, or having the nature of experiment
an experimental study
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based on or derived from experience; empirical
experimental evidence
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tending to experiment
an experimental artist
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tentative or provisional
an experimental rule in football
Other Word Forms
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nonexperimentaladjective
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postexperimentaladjective
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preexperimentaladjective
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pseudoexperimentaladjective
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quasi-experimentaladjective
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semiexperimentaladjective
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unexperimentaladjective
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experimentallyadverb
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nonexperimentallyadverb
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pseudoexperimentallyadverb
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quasi-experimentallyadverb
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semiexperimentallyadverb
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unexperimentallyadverb
Etymology
Origin of experimental
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word experīmentālis. See experiment, -al 1
Explanation
The adjective experimental is good for describing things that are still in a trial stage. An experimental drug is usually tested in a lab for years before being used on patients. Something that's experimental is at an early stage, being observed, tested out, and subjected to experiments as it's being developed. An experimental space craft might be launched and watched from afar as scientists decide what changes to make before it can be used for human space exploration. Experimental medicines are sometimes tested on animals before they're given to people. The 15th century meaning was "having experience," from the Latin root experimentum, "test or trial."
Vocabulary lists containing experimental
Awkward
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Content Summary 5.1: Causes of the Atlantic Revolutions
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for July 3–July 9, 2021
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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.
Deep Fission is planning to build an experimental, commercial underground nuclear reactor a mile deep in Parsons, Kansas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The company had been the beneficiary of a federal “loan guarantee” program that aimed to spur investment in experimental technologies that were unproven but could yield huge financial or climate dividends.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Except, as every theater that has lately dared put on a show created by new, experimental or unknown artists knows, it can feel like an insurmountable task.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The first volunteer in the world - a 37-year-old UK man called Ed Hunt - has received an experimental vaccine against the Ebola virus.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Galileo had been an experimental scientist for some time, a decade or so—in fact, since he had read William Gilbert’s On the Magnet.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
