clinical
adjective
clin·i·cal
ˈkli-ni-kəl 
1
: of, relating to, or conducted in or as if in a clinic: such as
a
: involving direct observation of the patient
clinical diagnosis
b
: based on or characterized by observable and diagnosable symptoms
clinical treatment
clinical tuberculosis
2
: analytical or coolly dispassionate
describing the situation with clinical detachment
3
US, informal
: done or performed with excellence and precision : exemplary
In the meantime Bryant … continued his clinical shooting, which has allowed him to more than double his scoring average …—
Alexander Wolff
Alexander WolffExamples of clinical in a Sentence
Both experimental and clinical evidence show that the treatment is effective.
She enjoys her clinical practice but is looking forward to working in a laboratory.
Three hundred patients were involved in the clinical study.
Recent Examples on the Web
This long-term approach allowed scientists to account for changes in coffee and tea consumption over time, while monitoring for both clinical dementia diagnoses and subtle shifts in cognitive function.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Features such as universal product locators and transparent transfer tools aim to shift agency back toward the patient, helping address a persistent disconnect between clinical intent and real-world access.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
Plus, the sleek platform sneaker look keeps them feeling stylish, not clinical.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
In his experiences and chronicles of the great ideological battles of the twentieth century, Curzio Malaparte was a shape-shifter—pitiless, clinical, cynical, unsentimental, indifferent to morality and idealism.
—Leah Downey, The New York Review of Books, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clinical
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Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Features such as universal product locators and transparent transfer tools aim to shift agency back toward the patient, helping address a persistent disconnect between clinical intent and real-world access.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
Plus, the sleek platform sneaker look keeps them feeling stylish, not clinical.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
In his experiences and chronicles of the great ideological battles of the twentieth century, Curzio Malaparte was a shape-shifter—pitiless, clinical, cynical, unsentimental, indifferent to morality and idealism.
—Leah Downey, The New York Review of Books, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clinical
Cite this Entry
“Clinical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clinical. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clinical
adjective
clin·i·cal
ˈklin-i-kəl
1
: of, relating to, or conducted in or as if in a clinic
clinical examination
2
: involving or based on direct observation of the patient
clinical studies
Medical Definition
clinical
adjective
clin·i·cal
ˈklin-i-kəl
: of, relating to, or conducted in or as if in a clinic: as
a
: involving or concerned with the direct observation and treatment of living patients
engaged in full-time clinical practice
clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology
b
: of, relating to, based on, or characterized by observable and diagnosable symptoms of disease
the clinical picture on admission was that of mild depression in an extremely rigid personality—Occupational Therapy & Rehabilitation
Occupational Therapy & Rehabilitationthree of these six foods were actually the cause of symptoms, and upon their elimination, clinical cure was effected—Journal of Pediatrics
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