expression

clinical trial

a research study testing treatments on volunteers

In more detail

1. (noun) a carefully controlled scientific test of a new medicine or medical treatment on human patients to see if it is safe and effective

Examples

1. The new cancer drug showed promising results in clinical trials before being approved by regulators.

How to use clinical trial

Clinical trial is a formal, technical term used in medical and pharmaceutical contexts to describe systematic research evaluating treatments on human subjects. It emphasizes the structured, regulated nature of the testing process compared to informal experimentation. The term is used by healthcare professionals, researchers, and in regulatory and scientific communications.

Common phrases

conduct a clinical trial
participate in a clinical trial
clinical trial data
clinical trial results
phase clinical trial
double-blind clinical trial

Synonyms

medical trial · controlled trial · randomized controlled trial · RCT · drug trial

Word family

clinically

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use trial generically when they mean clinical trial specifically, or confuse it with observational studies, which do not involve controlled intervention.

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