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
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 4 Feb. 2026
The company says this rapid customization enables real-time optimization during operations, allowing machines to respond effectively to local variations without lengthy setup or retraining.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 3 Feb. 2026
The village also hopes for $6 million to improve safety at the accident-prone 94th Street and 159th Street intersection, $1 million to complete traffic signal optimization at 159th Street and LaGrange Road and to complete a traffic study of 159th Street from Will-Cook Road to Harlem Avenue.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
For example, Beo Grace can virtualize any stereo mix with optimization for Dolby Atmos recordings.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 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 9 Feb. 2026.
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