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.
"This isn't quite the process that we think is optimal," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Friday in a post on X, alongside an explanation of the GPT-5.6 launch.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
The standard criticism from trade economists is that optimal tariffs only work in theory because in practice retaliatory trade measures from other countries erode the benefits of our trade levies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
Rather than replacing existing recommendations, Dr. Macdonald suggests supplementing them with guidance focused on what he calls "optimal health outcomes."
From Science Daily • Jun. 23, 2026
Fifa acknowledged that queues were "longer than optimal" at the 64,000-seater venue, but said adjustments had been made after observing crowd patterns.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
I checked yesterday's power generation, and it was 97 percent of optimal.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
