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.
It will also be relandscaped to encourage optimal plant-growing conditions, and the building will be made fully accessible.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Average sodium consumption continues to exceed recommended levels, while potassium intake is frequently "far below optimal levels in both developed and developing nations," according to the authors.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
Now the so-called optimal growth rate could be notably higher, according to economists, with AI investment and rising productivity playing key roles.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Last year, Hidden Valley unveiled the first major redesign of its packaging in decades: an upside-down bottle engineered for optimal squeezing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
They make inside jokes in Fante and then stare directly at me to encourage optimal discomfort.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
