as in experimental
done or created to find something or to learn more about something
exploratory drilling for oil
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exploratory
While rumination is repetitive and emotionally sticky, mental simulation is flexible and exploratory.
—
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
That decision, even if only for exploratory purposes, should be left to a Congress whose majority isn’t addled by either devotion to Trump or fear of him.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2026
That narrative convergence happens amusingly when Jimmy Ink is on an exploratory foray.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 Jan. 2026
On one side of Weir stood Garcia and his endless exploratory guitar solos, on the other Phil Lesh and his basslines informed by his classical, jazz, and avant garde music education.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exploratory
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
That decision, even if only for exploratory purposes, should be left to a Congress whose majority isn’t addled by either devotion to Trump or fear of him.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2026
That narrative convergence happens amusingly when Jimmy Ink is on an exploratory foray.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 Jan. 2026
On one side of Weir stood Garcia and his endless exploratory guitar solos, on the other Phil Lesh and his basslines informed by his classical, jazz, and avant garde music education.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exploratory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploratory
Adjective
-
Moderna — Shares tumbled 6% after the pharma giant said the Food and Drug Administration refused to review its application for an experimental flu shot, mRNA-1010.—
Christina Cheddar Berk,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Many ideas that were rejected in the past receive new life upon a surprising new observation; many ideas that are accepted today will be overthrown when a key experimental result demonstrates its insufficiency.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office is the primary investigative agency in the search for Nancy Guthrie, with the FBI only permitted to take part if requested by local officials.—
Michael Ruiz , Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
An investigative journalist for the Miami Herald, Brown has interviewed dozens of Epstein’s victims and has meticulously anatomized how Epstein managed to win preposterously favorable treatment in the courts.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The crypto industry, for example, entered 2022 brimming with hope, as the pandemic helped spark a surge in trading from people stuck at home, leading to a frenzy that boosted all kinds of speculative investments, from cryptocurrencies to digital tokens called NFTs.—
Rafael Nam,
NPR,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The latter aims to ban speculative ticket sales (tickets that resellers don’t yet possess) in the state.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The district and union on Saturday came to a tentative agreement on a sanctuary school policy, mirroring the city’s own, that aims to protect immigrant and refugee students.—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospital systems have reached tentative agreements with management to end a historic strike that began nearly a month ago, the New York State Nurses Association announced Monday.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Today brings preliminary matches for women’s ice hockey, qualification runs for men’s big-air snowboarding, and, of course, more curling, which is the only sport industrious enough to have events every day through the Olympics.—
The Editors,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
-
For instance, Irvine recently passed a preliminary e-bike law that strikes us as needlessly heavy handed.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Palmer’s goal from open play, which involved theoretical No 10 Fernandez carrying the ball out wide, full-back Cucurella underlapping him, and Palmer finishing in the box, summed that up.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The partnership is shifting from theoretical research to the project development phase, with a focus on delivering a 50 MW commercial pilot.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exploratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploratory. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
