SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
exploratory
adjective
Intended to investigate possibilities or gather initial understanding.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Investigating possibilities
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topPreliminary describes timing and tentative describes commitment; exploratory describes the aim of discovery.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See exploratory in use
The team held an exploratory meeting before choosing a research question.
An exploratory visit to a community print studio lets prospective students try several basic activities before deciding what they want to study.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license