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
These same practices should be applied when looking at the eclipse through a telescope, binoculars or any other optical or magnifying device, NASA advised.
—
The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
Sometimes parts of those interconnections are converted to fiber-optic links for great bandwidth, but converting signals back and forth between optical and electrical creates a communications bottleneck.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024
Remote sensing is another option, but optical satellite images are next to useless if the area is obscured by clouds or smoke.
—IEEE Spectrum, 4 Apr. 2024
The camera will use its 5.1-foot-wide optical lens to take a 15-second exposure of the sky every 20 seconds, automatically changing filters to view light in every wavelength from near-ultraviolet to the near-infrared.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
The home’s optical mogul owner, Massimo Musa, is the co-founder of My Eyelab, the Lasik Vision Institute, Eyeglass World, and Stanton Optical.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024
That’s because optical devices can concentrate solar rays, which can then cause eye injury, according to NASA.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Archivists also use software that picks up images of text, called optical character recognition, but humans are still better at parsing old documents.
—USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
As is the case with the RF 200-800mm, all these lenses include optical stabilization and work with rear teleconverters.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
Sometimes parts of those interconnections are converted to fiber-optic links for great bandwidth, but converting signals back and forth between optical and electrical creates a communications bottleneck.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024
Remote sensing is another option, but optical satellite images are next to useless if the area is obscured by clouds or smoke.
—IEEE Spectrum, 4 Apr. 2024
The camera will use its 5.1-foot-wide optical lens to take a 15-second exposure of the sky every 20 seconds, automatically changing filters to view light in every wavelength from near-ultraviolet to the near-infrared.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
The home’s optical mogul owner, Massimo Musa, is the co-founder of My Eyelab, the Lasik Vision Institute, Eyeglass World, and Stanton Optical.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024
That’s because optical devices can concentrate solar rays, which can then cause eye injury, according to NASA.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Archivists also use software that picks up images of text, called optical character recognition, but humans are still better at parsing old documents.
—USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
As is the case with the RF 200-800mm, all these lenses include optical stabilization and work with rear teleconverters.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'optical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near optical
Cite this Entry
“Optical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optical. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share