experimentalism
noun
ex·per·i·men·tal·ism ik-ˌsper-ə-ˈmen-tə-ˌli-zəm 
also -ˌspir-
: reliance on or advocacy of experimental or empirical principles and procedures
specifically : instrumentalism
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Magdalene, a devastating and delicate feat of musical craftsmanship that combines classical operatics and pop experimentalism, all while Twigs works her way through a very public breakup. 
Natalie Maher, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 Mar. 2022 Twigs edges just to the brink of the mainstream but leaps back into experimentalism before getting too close to ordinariness. Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2022 At the same time, she is attracted to vivid colors, extravagant gestures, experimentalism with a visceral streak. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2021 He has been singled out for praise by Herbie Hancock and others for his daring approach to cutting-edge improvisations and take-no-prisoners experimentalism. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2021 Poco’s music was generally twangier and more populist than that of Buffalo Springfield, a band that had at times gravitated toward experimentalism and obfuscation. New York Times, 17 Apr. 2021 Lewis’s 25-minute track culls energy from techniques of classical experimentalism — as well from brass and wind accents that recall Duke Ellington. New York Times, 15 Oct. 2020 Rooftop at Pier 17, South Street Seaport Janelle MonáePop’s major avatar of digital-age experimentalism and sci-fi fantasy, Monáe has gone from Afrofuturist dreamer to Hollywood star, while holding onto her visionary streak. Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2019 The rest of the nine-track album pushes to new extremities of silence, slowness, and experimentalism. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2019 See More
Natalie Maher, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 Mar. 2022 Twigs edges just to the brink of the mainstream but leaps back into experimentalism before getting too close to ordinariness. Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2022 At the same time, she is attracted to vivid colors, extravagant gestures, experimentalism with a visceral streak. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2021 He has been singled out for praise by Herbie Hancock and others for his daring approach to cutting-edge improvisations and take-no-prisoners experimentalism. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2021 Poco’s music was generally twangier and more populist than that of Buffalo Springfield, a band that had at times gravitated toward experimentalism and obfuscation. New York Times, 17 Apr. 2021 Lewis’s 25-minute track culls energy from techniques of classical experimentalism — as well from brass and wind accents that recall Duke Ellington. New York Times, 15 Oct. 2020 Rooftop at Pier 17, South Street Seaport Janelle MonáePop’s major avatar of digital-age experimentalism and sci-fi fantasy, Monáe has gone from Afrofuturist dreamer to Hollywood star, while holding onto her visionary streak. Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2019 The rest of the nine-track album pushes to new extremities of silence, slowness, and experimentalism. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
experimental + -ism
First Known Use
circa 1834, in the meaning defined above