as in exploratory
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Recent Examples of investigative
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
Nick Penzenstadler is a reporter on USA TODAY's investigative team working on national projects.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
The bipartisan duo co-sponsored a law last year that required the Justice Department to release virtually all of its investigative files on Epstein, with redactions allowed to protect survivors' identities and in a handful of other circumstances.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
The case involving lawmakers’ video to military service members could provide additional fodder for Democrats to hammer Bondi and question how the Justice Department is using its investigative authority.
—Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Swanson, who worked for decades as an investigative reporter at The News, told The New York Times in 2014 about Binion’s origin story, calling him a product of his time.
—Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Per the consent order, Humpal is set to pay the more than $33,000 for fish kill and investigative costs, plus a $5,000 administrative fee by September 2027.
—Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 10 Feb. 2026
Jonathan Dienst Jonathan Dienst is chief justice contributor for NBC News and chief investigative reporter for WNBC-TV in New York.
—Tom Winter, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Nick Penzenstadler is a reporter on USA TODAY's investigative team working on national projects.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
The bipartisan duo co-sponsored a law last year that required the Justice Department to release virtually all of its investigative files on Epstein, with redactions allowed to protect survivors' identities and in a handful of other circumstances.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
The case involving lawmakers’ video to military service members could provide additional fodder for Democrats to hammer Bondi and question how the Justice Department is using its investigative authority.
—Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Swanson, who worked for decades as an investigative reporter at The News, told The New York Times in 2014 about Binion’s origin story, calling him a product of his time.
—Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Per the consent order, Humpal is set to pay the more than $33,000 for fish kill and investigative costs, plus a $5,000 administrative fee by September 2027.
—Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 10 Feb. 2026
Jonathan Dienst Jonathan Dienst is chief justice contributor for NBC News and chief investigative reporter for WNBC-TV in New York.
—Tom Winter, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for investigative
Adjective
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To confirm that your potatoes are ready for harvest, do a little exploratory digging and check the skin.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
9 Feb. 2026
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These investigations began as largely exploratory projects, seeking evidence to confirm what the president and some of his advisers have long believed about the possibility of past fraud.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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But the end of the roster should be utilized in one of two regards, either for an emergency fill-in or developmental players.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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Researchers also found flame retardants, phthalates, pesticides, and other compounds that have been associated in prior studies with hormone disruption, weakened immunity, and developmental concerns.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This request is denied since these holes in the factual record, where defendants hold the pertinent backup evidence—should such evidence exist—are actually probative in assessing the reliability and accuracy, or lack thereof, of other representations by defendants about their actions more broadly.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
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Perhaps there is no more probative example of this when the current president would not rule out using American military force to take Greenland and/or the Panama Canal.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Investigative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/investigative. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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