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
Quanta Magazine, 13 Oct. 2025
Kerry McGawley, a professor and senior sports physiologist at the performance optimization company Orreco, recalls the pithy mantra recited to her by a professional Swedish cross-country skier more than a decade ago.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
So there will be an optimization phase, but the demand is going to keep growing dramatically.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 10 Oct. 2025
This comes thanks to larger batteries, a smarter adaptive refresh rate (1–60Hz), Wear OS 6 optimizations, and a more efficient Snapdragon chip.
—Brent Rose, Outside, 10 Oct. 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 19 Oct. 2025.
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