exploratory
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to or concerned with exploration.
an exploratory operation.
-
inclined to make explorations.
Other Word Forms
- exploratively adverb
- nonexplorative adjective
- nonexploratory adjective
- unexplorative adjective
- unexploratory adjective
Etymology
Origin of exploratory
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English word from Latin word explōrātōrius. See exploration, -ory 1
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.
It’s still early days in the exploratory push, and actual drilling on new land acquisitions could be years away, Fryklund noted.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
“It’s an exploratory conversation,” said Charles Scarallo, a certified financial planner in Melville, N.Y.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026
Antonio held exploratory talks with the Championship club over a pay-as-you-play deal, before choosing to move to Qatar instead.
From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026
The music is slow, melodic, restless and exploratory.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
Every so often a beam of light appeared out of thin air, traversed the wall like a ghostly, exploratory finger, and slid off into nothing again.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
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.
