ˈklinə̇kəl, -nēk- adjective
Etymology: clinic + -al
1. : of, relating to, or conducted in or as if in a clinic (as a medical clinic): as
a. : involving or depending on direct observation of the living patient
clinical diagnosis
clinical examination
b. : observable by clinical inspection
clinical tuberculosis
c. : based on clinical observation
clinical picture
clinical treatment
d. : applying objective or standardized methods (as interviews and personality or intelligence tests) to the description, evaluation, and modification of human behavior
clinical psychology
2.
a. of a sacrament : administered on a sickbed or deathbed
clinical baptism
b. of a religious convert or conversion : made on a sickbed or deathbed
3. : analytical, detached, or coolly dispassionate (as in attitude, judgment, or description)
the direct and unabashed appeal to the emotions … has been … diminished in favor of studied impersonality, a clinical detachment — Louis Untermeyer
writes with intensity, insight, and a clinical sense of scrutiny — Catherine M. Brown
a largely clinical analysis of the whole “loyalty program” — W.S.White