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.
Macron is "very eager" to see the tapestry displayed "in optimal conditions", laid out flat at full length on a table, the French presidential official said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
In “Fed Up,” he takes us on a provocative journey in pursuit of the definitive art of eating and humankind’s optimal menu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
It will also be relandscaped to encourage optimal plant-growing conditions, and the building will be made fully accessible.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
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
Figure out the optimal time, then tell her.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
