clinical

[ klin-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. pertaining to a clinic.
2. concerned with or based on actual observation and treatment of disease in patients rather than experimentation or theory.
3. extremely objective and realistic; dispassionately analytic; unemotionally critical:

   She regarded him with clinical detachment.

4. pertaining to or used in a sickroom:

   a clinical bandage.

5. Ecclesiastical.
   1. (of a sacrament) administered on a deathbed or sickbed.
   2. (of a convert or conversion) made on a deathbed or sickbed.

clinical

/ ˈklɪnɪkəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a clinic
2. of or relating to the bedside of a patient, the course of his disease, or the observation and treatment of patients directly

   a clinical lecture

   clinical medicine

3. scientifically detached; strictly objective

   a clinical attitude to life

4. plain, simple, and usually unattractive

   clinical furniture

Derived Forms

• ˈclinicalness, noun
• ˈclinically, adverb

Other Words From

• clini·cal·ly adverb
• non·clini·cal adjective
• non·clini·cal·ly adverb
• over·clini·cal adjective
• over·clini·cal·ly adverb
• semi·clini·cal adjective
• semi·clini·cal·ly adverb
• un·clini·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of clinical¹

First recorded in 1770–80; clinic + -al ¹

Example Sentences

The researchers stress the importance of further studies, especially randomised controlled clinical trials, to better understand the mechanisms behind the findings.

From Science Daily

"Being able to have adults with cerebral palsy participate in more clinical research will contribute immensely to our understanding of the natural history of cerebral palsy as people age," said Peterson.

From Science Daily

Chronic stress can inflict more serious damage to the immune system and make people more vulnerable to heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, infertility, clinical anxiety, depression and other ailments.

From Los Angeles Times

"We accept that opportunities were missed to deploy a clinical team leader to this incident," she said.

From BBC

More and better information was needed to refine Chiari type-1 diagnoses so doctors could reliably determine which cases call for which clinical interventions, if any.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• analytic
• impersonal
• scientific