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
Meridith Alexander, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Netflix is not the first multinational to come under investigation in France for alleged tax optimization practices.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjusted earnings per share in Q3 jumped 15% to $1.14, outpacing the LSEG consensus estimate of $1.05, thanks to ongoing cost optimizations, particularly at the gross margin level.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
The optimization algorithm works for specific values of the base radius, the glass height and the ratio of base to opening radius.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for optimization 
Dictionary Entries Near optimization
Cite this Entry
“Optimization.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optimization. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
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