bokeh

American  

[boh-kuh, boh-key] / ˈboʊ kə, ˈboʊˌkeɪ /

noun

1. the blurry quality in the out-of-focus parts of a photograph, regarded as an aesthetic effect rendered by a particular lens or its digital simulation.

   This lens creates beautifully sharp images with delightful bokeh that glows and diffuses into the background.

---

Etymology

Origin of bokeh

First recorded in 1995–2000; from Japanese boke “fuzziness, blurring,” shortening of pinboke “state of being out of focus”

Example Sentences

Kim Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital Partners, argues that traditional financial math may simply not apply here.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

“We don’t know what the ultimate ecosystem looks like, but AI should deliver astounding productivity at some point,” Kim Caughey Forrest, founder and chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital Partners, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

"The big technology companies like Amazon continued hiring to support a business that looks like the year 2021, and it's not 2021. It's 2022," said Kim Forrest, Chief Investment Officer At Bokeh Capital Partners.

From Reuters • Oct. 28, 2022

Silent Hill creator returns with Slitterhead Bokeh Game Studio, a team led by Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, teased an extremely creepy new game with the equally creepy title Slitterhead.

From The Verge • Dec. 9, 2021

Also, it would be strange for someone altering a picture to also introduce a Bokeh effect error.

From Slate • Feb. 25, 2020