noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Canada, US:/ˌɑptəmaɪˈzeɪʃən/
Canada, US:/-məˈzeɪʃən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:AA0 P T AH0 M AH0 Z EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The reduction of a program or algorithm to its most efficient form, as during compilation, by removing unused portions of code and improving the speed or resource usage of others.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
the act of rendering optimal
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the simultaneous optimization of growth and profitability
in an optimization problem we seek values of the variables that lead to an optimal value of the function that is to be optimized
to promote the optimization and diversification of agricultural products
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: optimisation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: improvement
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h1épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h1epi Proto-Indo-European *-tm̥mos ? Latin optimus Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ῐσμός (-ĭsmós)der. Latin -ismusbor. French -isme French optim(isme) ▲ Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istabor. French -iste French optimistebor. English optimistbf. English optimize Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English optimization From optimize + -ation.
Across languages
Translations
36 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
اِسْتِمْثَال
(istimṯāl)
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Arabic:
مُلَاءَمَة
(mulāʔama)
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Armenian:
օպտիմալացում
(ōptimalacʻum)
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Bulgarian:
оптимиза́ция
(optimizácija)
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Catalan:
optimització
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Chinese Mandarin:
優化 /优化
(yōuhuà)
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Czech:
optimalizace
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Danish:
optimering
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Dutch:
optimalisatie
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Finnish:
optimointi
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
French:
optimisation
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Galician:
optimización
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Georgian:
ოპტიმიზაცია
(oṗṭimizacia)
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
German:
Optimierung
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Greek:
βελτιστοποίηση
(veltistopoíisi)
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Hungarian:
optimalizálás
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Icelandic:
bestun
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Indonesian:
optimalisasi
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Indonesian:
pengoptimalan
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Italian:
ottimizzazione
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Japanese:
最適化
(saitekika)
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Malay:
pengoptimuman
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Norwegian Bokmål:
optimalisering
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Norwegian Nynorsk:
optimalisering
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Polish:
optymalizacja
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Portuguese:
otimização
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Portuguese:
optimização
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Romanian:
optimizare
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Russian:
оптимиза́ция
(optimizácija)
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Serbo-Croatian:
optimizacija
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Serbo-Croatian:
optimalizacija
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Slovak:
optimalizácia
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Spanish:
optimización
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Swedish:
optimering
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Turkish:
optimizasyon
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense
Ukrainian:
оптиміза́ція
(optymizácija)
— the design and operation of a system or process to make it as good as possible in some defined sense