Trial — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective verb /ˈtrī(-ə)l/ tri·al

Meaning & Definition of Trial

Trial (noun)

  1. the formal examination before a competent tribunal of the matter in issue in a civil or criminal cause in order to determine such issue
  2. the action or process of trying or putting to the proof, test
  3. a preliminary contest (as in a sport)

Trial (adjective)

  1. of, relating to, or used in a trial
  2. made or done as a test or experiment
  3. used or tried out in a test or experiment

Trial (verb)

  1. to test the functioning, value, or usefulness of (something)

Trial (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a test of faith, patience, or strength

    "living with her insufferable relatives was a real trial"

    similar: cross, crucible, fire, gauntlet, ordeal, baptism of fire
    related: baptism, initiation, adversity, affliction, asperity, misadventure, mischance, misfortune, mishap, privation, tragedy, tribulation, trouble, vicissitude, woe, acid test, litmus test, challenge, complication, difficulty, grief, grievance, hardship, rigor, annoyance, discomfort, inconvenience, nuisance

  2. a private performance or session in preparation for a public appearance

    "ran another trial of the aerial performance before opening night"

    similar: dry run, practice, rehearsal
    related: dress rehearsal, preview, run-through, walk-through, drill, exercise

  3. a procedure or operation carried out to resolve an uncertainty

    "trials by medical researchers haven't determined whether the medication is safe or not"

    similar: essay, experiment, experimentation, test
    related: trial and error, dry run, shakedown, exercise, practice, rehearsal, tryout, workout, crucible, ordeal, attempt, effort, try

  4. an effort to do or accomplish something

    "will rest and make another trial at climbing the mountain"

    similar: assay (archaic), attempt, bash (chiefly British), bid, crack, endeavor, essay, fling, go, offer, pass, shot, stab, try, whack, whirl
    related: striving, struggle, throes, undertaking, trial and error

  5. something that is a source of irritation

    "trying to have a coherent phone conversation with his senile father was always a trial"

    similar: aggravation, aggro (British), annoyance, bother, botheration, bugbear, exasperation, frustration, hair shirt, hassle, headache, inconvenience, irk, irritant, nuisance, peeve, pest, rub, ruffle, thorn, vexation
    related: discomfort, fleabite, pinprick, affront, insult, offense, upset, worry, affliction, albatross, burden, cross, curse, menace, millstone, plague, sore, anxiety, plight, predicament, tribulation, trouble, hang-up, pet peeve, problem, annoyer, disturber, harasser, mischief, offender, pandora's box
    near: delight, joy, pleasure

Trial (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. made or done as an experiment

    "a trial medical procedure that should be considered only after all other options have been exhausted"

    similar: developmental, experimental, pilot
    related: exploratory, investigative, probative, preliminary, preparatory, provisional, temporary, tentative, conjectural, hypothetical, speculative, theoretical, untested, untried, unproved, unproven
    near: accepted, established, standard, tested, tried, advanced, developed, proved, proven, conclusive, decisive, definitive, final, permanent

Related Entry: Trial and error (noun)

Trial and error is a different word from Trial. The synonyms below are for trial and error, not for trial.

  1. as in test, dry run

    similar: essay, experiment, experimentation, test, trial, exercise, practice, rehearsal, tryout, workout, attempt, effort, try, dry run, shakedown, crucible, ordeal

Related Entry: Trial and errors (noun)

Trial and errors is a different word from Trial. The synonyms below are for trial and errors, not for trial.

  1. as in tests, dry runs

    similar: essays, experimentations, experiments, tests, trials, exercises, practices, rehearsals, tryouts, workouts, attempts, efforts, tries, dry runs, shakedowns, crucibles, ordeals

Related Entry: Trial court (noun)

Trial court is a different word from Trial. The synonyms below are for trial court, not for trial.

  1. as in criminal court, civil court

    similar: civil court, criminal court, bar, bench, forum, tribunal, high court, supreme court, judicatory, judicature, judiciary, court-martial, drumhead court-martial, inquisition, kangaroo court

Related Entry: Trial courts (noun)

Trial courts is a different word from Trial. The synonyms below are for trial courts, not for trial.

  1. as in criminal courts, civil courts

    similar: civil courts, criminal courts, bars, benches, forums, tribunals, high courts, supreme courts, judicatories, judicatures, judiciaries, courts-martial, drumhead court-martials, inquisitions, kangaroo courts

Related Entry: Trial lawyer (noun)

Trial lawyer is a different word from Trial. The synonyms below are for trial lawyer, not for trial.

  1. as in public defender, criminal lawyer

    similar: criminal lawyer, mouthpiece (slang), public defender, district attorney, prosecuting attorney, prosecutor, solicitor, jurist, cocounsel, lawgiver, lawmaker, legislator, solon, advocate, attorney, attorney-at-law, counsel, counselor, counselor-at-law, lawyer, legal eagle, ambulance chaser, pettifogger, Philadelphia lawyer, shyster

Related Entry: Trial lawyers (noun)

Trial lawyers is a different word from Trial. The synonyms below are for trial lawyers, not for trial.

  1. as in public defenders, criminal lawyers

    similar: criminal lawyers, mouthpieces (slang), public defenders, district attorneys, prosecuting attorneys, prosecutors, solicitors, jurists, cocounsels, lawgivers, lawmakers, legislators, solons, advocates, attorneys, attorneys-at-law, counselors, counselors-at-law, counsels, lawyers, legal eagles, ambulance chasers, pettifoggers, Philadelphia lawyers, shysters

Related Entry: Trial run (noun)

Trial run is a different word from Trial. The synonyms below are for trial run, not for trial.

  1. as in checkout, test-drive

    similar: checkout, test-drive, observation, surveillance, watch, recheck, reinspection, resurvey, once-over, perusal, inquisition, interrogation, exploration, investigation, probe, research, study, analysis, assay, close-up, deconstruction, dissection, audit, check, checkup, examination, going-over, inspection, look-see, review, scan, scrutiny, survey, view

Related Entry: Trial runs (noun)

Trial runs is a different word from Trial. The synonyms below are for trial runs, not for trial.

  1. as in checkouts, test-drives

    similar: checkouts, test-drives, observations, surveillances, watches, rechecks, reinspections, resurveys, once-overs, perusals, inquisitions, interrogations, explorations, investigations, probes, researches, studies, analyses, assays, close-ups, deconstructions, dissections, audits, checks, checkups, examinations, goings-over, inspections, look-sees, reviews, scans, scrutinies, surveys, views

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Trial

The most common words with a similar meaning to Trial:

Archaic: assay
Chiefly British: bash
British: aggro
cross, crucible, fire, gauntlet, ordeal, dry run, practice, rehearsal, essay, experiment, experimentation, test, attempt, bid, crack, endeavor, fling, go, offer, pass, shot, stab, try, whack, whirl, aggravation, annoyance, bother, botheration, bugbear, exasperation, frustration, hair shirt, hassle, headache, inconvenience, irk, irritant, nuisance, peeve

Related Words for Trial

baptism, initiation, adversity, affliction, asperity, misadventure, mischance, misfortune, mishap, privation, tragedy, tribulation, trouble, vicissitude, woe, acid test, litmus test, challenge, complication, difficulty, grief, grievance, hardship, rigor, discomfort, dress rehearsal, preview, run-through, walk-through, drill

Near Antonyms of Trial

delight, joy, pleasure, accepted, established, standard, tested, tried, advanced, developed, proved, proven, conclusive, decisive, definitive, final, permanent

Word Forms of Trial

Inflections: trialed, trialled, trialing, trialling, trials

Origin & Etymology of Trial

Anglo-French, from trier to try

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Trial

Words & Phrases Containing Trial

trial and error, trial balance, trial balloon, trial court, trial examiner, trial horse, trial jury

Frequently Asked Questions about Trial

What does "Trial" mean?

"Trial" means the formal examination before a competent tribunal of the matter in issue in a civil or criminal cause in order to determine such issue. As an a noun, an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: the formal examination before a competent tribunal of the matter in issue in a civil or criminal cause in order to determine such issue. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Trial"?

Other words for "Trial" include cross, crucible, fire, gauntlet, ordeal, dry run, practice and rehearsal. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Trial" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Trial"?

There are 134 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Trial". Common alternatives include cross, crucible, fire, gauntlet, ordeal, dry run, practice, rehearsal, essay and experiment.

How do you use "Trial" in a sentence?

Examples of "Trial" in a sentence: "living with her insufferable relatives was a real trial"; "ran another trial of the aerial performance before opening night"; "trials by medical researchers haven't determined whether the medication is safe or not".

Is "Trial" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Trial" can be used as a noun, an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Trial" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Trial" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Trial"?

"Trial" is pronounced /ˈtrī(-ə)l/ and divided into syllables as tri·al.

What is the origin of the word "Trial"?

"Trial" comes from Anglo-French, from trier to try. First known use: 15th century.