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
The two-plug (microphone and line-out) audio stack is on the right, with an S/PDIF optical port and the 5GbE Realtek LAN.
—
Joe Shields, PCMAG, 8 Feb. 2025
In order for the infrared imagers to work—measuring the red-shift of galaxies in the expanding cosmos—the telescope has to be shielded from stray heat, since that would wash out a thermal image the same way stray light would ruin an optical one.
—Jeffrey Kluger/greenbelt, TIME, 8 Feb. 2025
The company has also thrown in optical character recognition for scanning documents on the go.
—Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2025
The latter comprises enveloping long puffer coats and patch-bearing bomber jackets, as well as tracksuits, denim pants and knits done in variations of white, from iridescent and pearly to optical and buttery.
—Martino Carrera, WWD, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for optical 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joe Shields, PCMAG, 8 Feb. 2025
In order for the infrared imagers to work—measuring the red-shift of galaxies in the expanding cosmos—the telescope has to be shielded from stray heat, since that would wash out a thermal image the same way stray light would ruin an optical one.
—Jeffrey Kluger/greenbelt, TIME, 8 Feb. 2025
The company has also thrown in optical character recognition for scanning documents on the go.
—Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2025
The latter comprises enveloping long puffer coats and patch-bearing bomber jackets, as well as tracksuits, denim pants and knits done in variations of white, from iridescent and pearly to optical and buttery.
—Martino Carrera, WWD, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for optical
Dictionary Entries Near optical
Cite this Entry
“Optical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optical. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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