optimization
noun
Did you know?
Optimization started its gradual perfection in mid-19th-century English, when it was derived from optimize, a word first used in the early part of that same century with the meaning "to make the best or most of." In basic applications, optimization refers to the act or process of making something as good as it can be. In the 21st century, it has seen much use in technical contexts having to do with attaining the best possible functionality, as in "network optimization" and "search engine optimization" (SEO). Like the words optimum and optimism (which refer, respectively, to the amount or degree of something that is best or most effective, and to a feeling or belief that good things will happen in the future), optimize and optimization derive from Latin optimus, meaning "best."
Examples of optimization in a Sentence
Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 4 May 2026
Of course, battery life depends on several factors beyond capacity, including processor efficiency, display resolution and refresh rate, and overall software optimization.
—Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 2 May 2026
His deadpan humor comes through most brilliantly in Game Boy Tetris (2013–19), a parody of the logic of optimization that underpins capitalist culture.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026
An optical-first keystone design is only one part of the projector's full optical image optimization suite.
—Paul Ridden
may 01, New Atlas, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for optimization
Cite this Entry
“Optimization.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optimization. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
Copy Citation
