optimal
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- optimality noun
- optimally adverb
- superoptimal adjective
Etymology
Origin of optimal
Compare meaning
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.
"We also know that bringing elevated lipids and blood pressure down in young adults supports optimal heart and vascular health throughout a person's life."
From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026
“We found examples where the agents actually helped us write more optimal codes, so it’s actually taken down our cloud costs,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
Bessent said: "The President wants to remain in DC to coordinate the war effort... Travelling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal."
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
"Honda believed EVs would be the optimal solution from a long-term perspective. Based on this belief, Honda shifted its strategic direction toward the popularisation of EVs," the firm said.
From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026
In my code, I find the information that Mars’s atmosphere is thin, which makes for optimal viewing of stars.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
