adj
Meaning 1
Serving to explore or investigate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
exploratory
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.
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UK: /ɛkˈsplɒɹ.ə.tə.ɹi/
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UK: /ɛkˈsplɒɹ.ə.tɹi/
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UK: /ɪkˈ-/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Canada, General-American: /ɛkˈsploɹ.əˌtoɹ.i/
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Canada, General-American: /ɪkˈ-/
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Australian: /ɪkˈsplɔɹ.ə.tə.ɹi/
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New-Zealand: /əkˈsplɒɹ.ə.tə.ɹi/
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New-Zealand: [əkˈsplɔ̟ɹ.ə.tə.ɹi]
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New-Zealand: /ekˈsplɒɹ.ə.tɹi/
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New-Zealand: [ekˈsplɔ̟ɹ.ə.tɹi]
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CMU ARPABET: IH0 K S P L AO1 R AH0 T AO2 R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
An exploration or investigation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 3
serving in or intended for exploration or discovery
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- an exploratory operation
- exploratory reconnaissance
- digging an exploratory well in the Gulf of Mexico
- exploratory talks between diplomats
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: explorative
Antonyms: nonexploratory
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1éǵh Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h1éǵhs Proto-Italic *eks Latin ex Latin ex- Latin plōrō Latin explōrōder. Middle French explorerder. English explore English -ate English -ory English -atory English exploratory From explore + -atory.
Across languages
Translations
7 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Catalan: exploratori — Translations
- French: exploratoire — Translations
- German: erforschend — Translations
- German: untersuchend — Translations
- Polish: badawczy — Translations
- Portuguese: exploratório — Translations
- Spanish: exploratorio — Translations