optimization
noun
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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
New Atlas, 15 Aug. 2025
While traditional search engines use algorithms focused on keyword matching, backlinks and technical optimization, LLMs rely on a mix of factors.
—Jeremy Fields, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
This router is packed with features, including customizable RGB lighting and game optimization, to make your playing experience smoother.
—Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2025
Under his proposal, the committee would work toward finding areas for cost reduction, waste elimination and resource optimization, according to his plan.
—Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for optimization
Cite this Entry
“Optimization.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optimization. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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