Standard Lemma guide

clinical

adj · noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈklɪn.ɪ.kəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪnɪkəl
  • CMU ARPABET: K L IH1 N AH0 K AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: K L IH1 N IH0 K AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Dealing with the practical management of patients, in practice at the point of care; as contrasted with other health care venues (see clinical medicine for more explanation).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of or pertaining to a clinic, such as a medical clinic or law clinic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Medicine is now more often practiced in a clinical setting than in the home.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Cool and emotionless, in a professional way, as contrasted with an impetuous or unprofessional way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unemotional, alexithymic, apathistical, clinical, dull, phlegmatic, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, dead inside, dispassionate, emotionless, immovable, impassible, impassive, insensible, nonemotional, nonfeeling, nonpassionate, nonsentimental, stolid, unfeeling, unmovable, unpassionate, unsentimental

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Objective; analytical.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • We took a clinical approach to resolving conflicts.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: detached, disinterested

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Excellent and precise.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: accurate, exact

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Of or relating to a bed, especially a deathbed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

Examples

  • a clinical convert: one who turns to religion on their death-bed
  • clinical baptism

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A medical student's session spent in a real-world nursing environment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: education

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective

Meaning 8

relating to a clinic or conducted in or as if in a clinic and depending on direct observation of patients

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • clinical observation
  • clinical case study

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

scientifically detached; unemotional

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he spoke in the clipped clinical monotones typical of police testimony

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- Proto-Indo-European *-éyti Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *ḱl̥néyti Proto-Hellenic *klíňňō Ancient Greek κλῑ́νω (klī́nō) Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā) Ancient Greek -η (-ē) Ancient Greek κλῑ́νη (klī́nē) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) Ancient Greek -ῐκός (-ĭkós) Ancient Greek κλῑνῐκός (klīnĭkós)bor. Late Latin clīnicus French cliniquebor. English clinic English -al English clinical From clinic + -al.

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Asturian: clínicu — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Bulgarian: клиничен (kliničen) — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Catalan: clínic — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Danish: klinisk — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Dutch: klinisch — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Esperanto: klinika — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Finnish: kliininen — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Galician: clínico — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • German: klinisch — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Hindi: नैदानिक (naidānik) — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Hungarian: klinikai — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Indonesian: klinis — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Italian: clinico — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Japanese: 臨床の (rinshō no) — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Latvian: klīnisks — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Malay: klinikal — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Norwegian Bokmål: klinisk — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: klinisk — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Persian: کلینیکی (keliniki) — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Polish: kliniczny — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Portuguese: clínico — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Russian: клини́ческий (kliníčeskij) — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Spanish: clínico — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Swedish: klinisk — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Turkish: klinik — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Ukrainian: кліні́чний (kliníčnyj) — of or pertaining to a clinic
  • Esperanto: pacienta — dealing with how to practically manage patients
  • French: clinique — dealing with how to practically manage patients
  • Hindi: नैदानिक (naidānik) — dealing with how to practically manage patients
  • Indonesian: klinis — dealing with how to practically manage patients
  • Latvian: klīnisks — dealing with how to practically manage patients
  • Malay: klinikal — dealing with how to practically manage patients
  • Persian: بالینی (bâlini) — dealing with how to practically manage patients
  • Polish: kliniczny — dealing with how to practically manage patients
  • Spanish: clínico — dealing with how to practically manage patients
  • Swedish: klinisk — dealing with how to practically manage patients
  • Afrikaans: klinies — cool and emotionless
  • Esperanto: klinikeca — cool and emotionless
  • Finnish: kylmä — cool and emotionless
  • Finnish: tunteeton — cool and emotionless
  • Malay: klinikal — cool and emotionless
  • Polish: bezduszny — cool and emotionless
  • Polish: beznamiętny — cool and emotionless
  • Russian: бесстра́стный (besstrástnyj) — cool and emotionless
  • Swedish: klinisk — cool and emotionless
Real reading context

clinical in complete knowledge articles