trial

Fetched 2026-10-27 (live).

Synonyms: trill, triad, tribal, atrial, tryal, rial, urial, triol, arial, trisl, triel

Antonyms: trill, triad, tribal, atrial, tryal, rial, urial, triol, arial, trisl, triel

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

1. An occasion on which a person or thing is tested to find out how well they perform or how suitable they are.
   • They will perform the trials for the new equipment next week.
   • A randomized, controlled trial (RCT).
   • soccer trials; sheepdog trials
2. The testing of a product or procedure.
   • They will perform the trials for the new equipment next week.
3. A research study to test the effectiveness and safety of a drug, medical procedure, etc.
   • A randomized, controlled trial (RCT).
4. An event in which athletes’ or animals’ abilities are tested as they compete for a place on a team, or to move on to the next level of a championship, for example.
   • soccer trials; sheepdog trials
5. A piece of ware used to test the heat of a kiln.
6. An internal examination set by Eton College.
7. An occasion on which armies or individuals meet in combat.
8. A meeting or series of meetings in a court of law at which evidence is presented to a judge (and sometimes a jury) to allow them to decide on a legal matter (especially whether an accused person is guilty of a crime).
   • If you are convicted at trial, you have the right to file an appeal.
   • He was charged with war crimes and brought to trial before the International Tribunal.
   • The journalists have been held in custody for three years without trial.
9. A difficult or annoying experience or person; such an experience seen as a test of faith and piety.
   • That boy was a trial to his parents.
10. The action of trying (to do) something, especially more than once. (This sense is still current in the expression trial and error.)

Adjective

1. Pertaining to a trial or test.
2. Attempted on a provisional or experimental basis.

Verb

1. To carry out a series of tests on (a new product, procedure etc.) before marketing or implementing it.
   • The warning system was extensively trialed before being fitted to all our vehicles.
2. To try out (a new player) in a sports team.
   • The team trialled a new young goalkeeper in Saturday's match, with mixed results.

Adjective

1. Characterized by having three (usually equivalent) components.
2. Triple.
3. Pertaining to a language form referring to three of something, like people. (See Ambai language for an example.)
   • No language has a trial number unless it has a dual.

Noun

1. The trial number.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wiktionary) · cached copy, not a rewrite.