optical

[ op-ti-kuhl ]

/ ˈɒp tɪ kəl /

See synonyms for optical on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or applying optics or the principles of optics.

constructed to assist sight or to correct defects in vision.

of or relating to sight or vision; visual.

of or relating to the eye.

of or relating to an optician or opticians or to their products, especially eyeglasses: an optical service.

dealing with or skilled in optics.

noun

opticals. optical effects.

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Origin of optical

First recorded in 1560–70; optic + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM optical

op·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·op·ti·cal, adjectivenon·op·ti·cal·ly, adverbsub·op·ti·cal, adjective

sub·op·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for optical

The $500 PS5 will get you an optical drive you can use to play older games and Blu-ray Discs.
Video games feel different on the PlayStation 5 and that’s a good thing|Stan Horaczek|November 9, 2020|Popular Science
Samsung's site says the phone has a "7-layer nano-level optical film attached to the glass back panel."
Samsung built a bigger, $3,000 version of the Galaxy Fold 2 for China|Ron Amadeo|November 5, 2020|Ars Technica
The new display was born from a breakthrough in solar cells, where Brongersma’s lab used optical metasurfaces—these are surfaces with built-in nanoscale structures to control a material’s properties—to manipulate light.
New Display Packs 10,000 PPI and Could Paint Stunning VR Worlds|Jason Dorrier|November 1, 2020|Singularity Hub
New 3D models generated using thermal infrared and optical images taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show that the temperatures in these micro traps are low enough to keep water ice intact.
Water on the moon should be more accessible than we thought|Neel Patel|October 26, 2020|MIT Technology Review

The sonification of an image of the Milky Way’s center, for instance, includes observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, optical images from the Hubble Space Telescope and infrared observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Turning space images into music makes astronomy more accessible|Maria Temming|October 16, 2020|Science News
The fall of Aleppo will be hugely tragic—“psychologically and optically devastating,” says Itani.
Is Obama Done Playing Footsie With Assad?|Michael Tomasky|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To use the scientific phrase, they are not optically continuous.
Six Lectures on Light|John Tyndall
Three stars situated in close proximity, but apparently only optically connected.
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry Smyth
The occurrence of hemihedral faces was considered by Pasteur to be a sufficient criterion for an optically active substance.
The Phase Rule and Its Applications|Alexander Findlay
The temperature is uniformly 54 Fahr., and the atmosphere is optically and chemically pure.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6|Various
Optically isotropic crystals—corresponding with the cubic system.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for optical

optical

/ (ˈɒptɪkəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, producing, or involving light

of or relating to the eye or to the sense of sight; optic

(esp of a lens) aiding vision or correcting a visual disorder

Derived forms of optical

optically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for optical

optical

[ ŏp′tĭ-kəl ]

Relating to vision or the eyes.

Relating to optics.

Relating to or using visible light.

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optical

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Origin of optical

OTHER WORDS FROM optical

Example sentences from the Web for optical

British Dictionary definitions for optical

adjective

Derived forms of optical

Scientific definitions for optical

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

optical

adjective

noun

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Origin of optical

OTHER WORDS FROM optical

Words related to optical

Example sentences from the Web for optical

British Dictionary definitions for optical

adjective

Derived forms of optical

Scientific definitions for optical