optical
adjective
op·ti·cal
ˈäp-ti-kəl 
1
: of or relating to the science of optics
2
a
: of or relating to vision : visual
b
: visible sense 1
optical wavelength
c
: of, relating to, or being objects that emit light in the visible range of frequencies
an optical galaxy
d
: using the properties of light to aid vision
an optical instrument
3
a
: of, relating to, or utilizing light especially instead of other forms of energy
optical microscopy
b
: involving the use of light-sensitive devices to acquire information for a computer
optical character recognition
4
: of or relating to optical art
Examples of optical in a Sentence
The company manufactures microscopes, telescopes, and other optical instruments.
an optical illusion that fools most people
Recent Examples on the Web
Analog inputs: 3 pairs of balanced XLR stereo; 1 pair of unbalanced RCA stereo
Digital inputs (w/DAC Module Installed) 1 x optical; RJ45; Wi-Fi; HDMI with eARC
Control: RS-232.
—
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Generations of design successors have insisted that pie charts are difficult to read and even amount to optical informatic illusions, but we are still stuck with them.
—Mara Mills, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
The technology will involve six 8K cameras that use optical tracking when determining where the ball should be spotted (or if a touchdown was achieved).
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2025
Applied Energetics continues to focus on the development and manufacture of advanced high-performance lasers and optical systems.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for optical
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Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Generations of design successors have insisted that pie charts are difficult to read and even amount to optical informatic illusions, but we are still stuck with them.
—Mara Mills, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
The technology will involve six 8K cameras that use optical tracking when determining where the ball should be spotted (or if a touchdown was achieved).
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2025
Applied Energetics continues to focus on the development and manufacture of advanced high-performance lasers and optical systems.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for optical
Cite this Entry
“Optical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optical. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
optical
adjective
op·ti·cal
ˈäp-ti-kəl
1
: relating to optics
2
: of or relating to vision
3
a
: of, relating to, or using light
an optical telescope
b
: involving the use of a device that senses light to acquire information for a computer
an optical scanner
Medical Definition
optical
adjective
op·ti·cal
ˈäp-ti-kəl
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