optimal
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of optimal
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How does optimal compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Something that's optimal is the best or most favorable for a given situation. Flowers? Check. Chocolates? Check. Dinner reservation? Check. Sounds like you have the optimal conditions for a successful anniversary date. There's an implication with optimal that certain restrictions exist in a given situation, so that what is optimal isn't necessarily the ideal scenario — it's the best one given those limitations. For example, optimal population levels for a species are not the highest levels — instead they're the best levels that a particular environment can sustain. Often the word optimum is used interchangeably with optimal.
Vocabulary lists containing optimal
What If It's Us
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The Martian
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Apple
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That state’s most recent kindergarten measles vaccination rate was 91.2%, well below the optimal 95% threshold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
"Future guidelines may need to differentiate between the minimal moderate to vigorous exercise volume required for a basic safety margin and the substantially higher volumes necessary for optimal cardiovascular risk reduction," they conclude.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
Eventually tankers will find their optimal refinery homes, and the immediate shock will pass.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
The hourlong recommendation is based on research from Texas Christian University on the optimal time needed for children to reduce stress and anxiety, improve test scores and fight obesity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
He clearly played basketball in that same optimal range of arousal in which Ron Avery performed.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
