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
Amit Ashkenazi, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
This remains true today, as modular furniture offers adaptability and space optimization, particularly in smaller homes.
5.
—Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Apr. 2025
The case occurred in a dose optimization trial, aimed at finding the highest tolerable dose in a short amount of time.
—Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 14 Apr. 2025
These executives are intermediaries, translating client requests to junior media buyers, data analysts, and creatives, creating bottlenecks and slowing down campaign optimizations.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA Today, 14 Apr. 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 23 Apr. 2025.
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