Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo act optimistically or as an optimist.
verbTo make (something) optimal.
Sentence Examples
I'm going to optimize... you.
If human life is convex, we can optimize it.
CEFR Practice Quiz
To save battery life, the technician needs to ____ the phone's settings for lower power consumption.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Engineers worked to ____ the engine's performance by adjusting the fuel injection timing.
Word Origin & History
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
Back-formation from optimist. First attested in 1844.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A high level of analyst expertise is required to optimize instrument parameters and correct for matrix interferences either during the sample preparation phase or the data analysis phase."
— 2003, NIOSH (editors), NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods — Chapter R (XRD methods):
"Source-to-source program transformations which optimize the resulting code are central to the approach described here."
— 1978, Guy L. Steele Jr., Rabbit: A Compiler for Scheme (Chapter 11):
"It is the policy of the United States to optimize and target Federal investments in workforce development to align with our country's reindustrialization needs."
— 2025, Donald Trump, Executive Order 14278 (2025):