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
That’s partly because its spectra in starlight cannot be seen in the optical wavelength, but only in the near-infrared or the ultraviolet.
—
Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
When fully assembled, M1 will be the largest mirror ever built for an optical telescope.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 19 Jan. 2025
The agency uses artificial intelligence and a technology known as optical character recognition to extract text from historical documents.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Jan. 2025
The optical cavity also acts like a memory as the signal is recirculated via the recurrent loops.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for optical 
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Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
When fully assembled, M1 will be the largest mirror ever built for an optical telescope.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 19 Jan. 2025
The agency uses artificial intelligence and a technology known as optical character recognition to extract text from historical documents.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Jan. 2025
The optical cavity also acts like a memory as the signal is recirculated via the recurrent loops.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 16 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 23 Jan. 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
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