optimal

The best of its kind

Adjective

  1. The best, most favourable or desirable, especially under some restriction.
    • Finding the optimal balance between features and price is a common problem.
    • Herewith, a brief primer in speaking basic North Carolinaese, meant to be read aloud for optimal effect. - 2014 August 21, Susan Stafford Kelly, “What Say You”, in Our State:

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi Proto-Indo-European *-tm̥mos ? Latin optimus Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English optimal From Latin optimus + English -al.

Synonyms

best ideal optimum

Antonyms

pessimal worst

Related

opt optimise optimism optimist optimistic optimize optimum option optionable optional suboptimal

Derived

degree-optimal infraoptimal inoptimal nonoptimal optimalise optimalism optimality optimally Pareto-optimal Pareto optimal suboptimal superoptimal supraoptimal time optimal control problem

Noun

  1. The best of its kind

Forms

optimals