control experiment

noun

A parallel experiment designed to replicate the main experiment in every way, except in respect of the one variable that is being tested, so as isolate the effect of that variable; for example, an experiment in which subjects are given a placebo instead of an active drug, intended to check that any observed benefits of the drug derive from the drug itself and not from other factors involved in its administration.

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Meanings

nouncontrol experiment (plural control experiments)

plural control experiments

  1. A parallel experiment designed to replicate the main experiment in every way, except in respect of the one variable that is being tested, so as isolate the effect of that variable; for example, an experiment in which subjects are given a placebo instead of an active drug, intended to check that any observed benefits of the drug derive from the drug itself and not from other factors involved in its administration.
Cite this entry
APA

control experiment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/control%20experiment

MLA

“control experiment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/control%20experiment. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “control experiment,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/control%20experiment.

Source: control experiment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.