optical
adjective
op·ti·cal
ˈäp-ti-kəl 
1
: of or relating to the science of optics
2
a
: of or relating to vision : visual
b
: visible sense 1
optical wavelength
c
: of, relating to, or being objects that emit light in the visible range of frequencies
an optical galaxy
d
: using the properties of light to aid vision
an optical instrument
3
a
: of, relating to, or utilizing light especially instead of other forms of energy
optical microscopy
b
: involving the use of light-sensitive devices to acquire information for a computer
optical character recognition
4
: of or relating to optical art
Examples of optical in a Sentence
The company manufactures microscopes, telescopes, and other optical instruments.
an optical illusion that fools most people
Recent Examples on the Web
Hyperscaler datacenter racks are undergoing extensive customization to accommodate their own servers for power, liquid cooling, optical and electrical connectivity.
—
CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
High-speed, low-loss modulators are in strong demand for advanced telecommunications and optical signal processing.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Jan. 2026
The longer 2,100-day period was thought to be due to dust clouds, large convection cells on the star, magnetic activity or an elusive companion star always out of the optical reach of telescopes.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026
Viture further claims similar patents have have been rejected in China, and that Xreal’s patent adds only minor, appearance-level changes rather than true optical innovation.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for optical
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CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
High-speed, low-loss modulators are in strong demand for advanced telecommunications and optical signal processing.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Jan. 2026
The longer 2,100-day period was thought to be due to dust clouds, large convection cells on the star, magnetic activity or an elusive companion star always out of the optical reach of telescopes.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026
Viture further claims similar patents have have been rejected in China, and that Xreal’s patent adds only minor, appearance-level changes rather than true optical innovation.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for optical
Cite this Entry
“Optical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optical. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
optical
adjective
op·ti·cal
ˈäp-ti-kəl
1
: relating to optics
2
: of or relating to vision
3
a
: of, relating to, or using light
an optical telescope
b
: involving the use of a device that senses light to acquire information for a computer
an optical scanner
Medical Definition
optical
adjective
op·ti·cal
ˈäp-ti-kəl
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