experimental
experimental — adjective
1. describing a new method, product, or approach that is being tried for the first
describing a new method, product, or approach that is being tried for the first time or in a different way, so that people can study its effects or decide if it works well.
Haruto's experimental film used footage shot entirely on a mobile phone.
subject (named person) + experimental + noun (film)
The hospital is testing an experimental treatment for children with the rare genetic disorder.
collocation: experimental treatment
Élise was unsure about the experimental teaching method, but her class scored higher than before.
An experimental housing project in the suburbs lets neighbours share vegetable gardens and tools.
- trial
trial is narrower — it describes a specific test run or phase, whereas experimental can describe the whole approach or design
- pilot
pilot refers to a small-scale first version of something, usually a project or programme, while experimental is broader and can apply to ideas, methods, or objects
- innovative
innovative highlights originality and creativity without emphasising testing; a product can be innovative and already proven
- exploratory
exploratory suggests open-ended investigation without a fixed hypothesis, whereas experimental usually implies a planned test with expected outcomes
- established
an established method or product has been tested and accepted over time
- proven
proven means shown to be effective through evidence, the opposite of still being tested
- conventional
conventional follows accepted standards rather than trying new approaches
文法句型
experimental + noun
用法筆記
Frequently used immediately before a noun (attributive position) to describe something still in a testing stage. The opposite idea is expressed by words like established, proven, or conventional.
常見錯誤
2. connected with the process of conducting scientific experiments to test a hypoth
connected with the process of conducting scientific experiments to test a hypothesis, collect measurements, and analyse findings.
The experimental results confirmed what the research team had suspected for over a year.
collocation: experimental results
Asher followed strict experimental procedures to ensure no data was contaminated.
collocation: experimental procedures
The experimental group received the new vaccine while the control group received a placebo.
All experimental data was stored securely and reviewed by an independent committee.
- laboratory
laboratory as an adjective (lab test, lab conditions) emphasises the physical setting rather than the process of experimenting
- empirical
empirical is broader — it means based on observation or experience rather than theory, while experimental specifically involves controlled tests
- scientific
scientific is a wider term covering all aspects of science; experimental is limited to the testing phase of scientific work
- theoretical
theoretical deals with ideas and models not yet tested by experiment
- observational
observational studies gather data without manipulating variables, unlike experimental ones that involve controlled intervention
文法句型
experimental + noun
be + experimental
用法筆記
Common in academic and scientific writing. Often paired with nouns such as data, results, method, group, and design. This sense can also appear after a linking verb (e.g. 'the findings are purely experimental').