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
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
For investors already holding crypto outside tax-advantaged accounts, the change creates interesting portfolio optimization opportunities.
—Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2025
The researchers note there's room for optimization to boost yields and integrate this system into industrial processes.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2025
Though the game is content complete, the additional time will be spent focusing optimization, debug, and polish for distinctive gameplay.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 1 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 9 Oct. 2025.
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