optics

plural noun

op·​tics ˈäp-tiks 

1

plural in form but usually singular in construction : a science that deals with the genesis and propagation of light, the changes that it undergoes and produces, and other phenomena closely associated with it

But before we deal with telescopes, you need to understand a little about optics—how light is controlled.

—Michael Zeilik et al.

Everything we know suggests that [eyeglasses] were invented by chance, and by laymen who were not learned in optics.

—Daniel J. Boorstin

see also optic entry 2 sense 2a

2

: the aspects of an action, policy, or decision (as in politics or business) that relate to public perceptions

… when a broken-down bailout recipient like Citigroup tries to pay its top executives gigantic bonuses or to acquire a new private jet, it has failed to reconsider the optics.

—Nick Paumgarten

Skilling said Baxter "was concerned about the optics of the conflict, but not about the ethics or propriety of the transactions," according to interview memos.

—Peter Behr and April Witt

Examples of optics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was asked about the optics of the visit. —Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner, 6 Jan. 2023

After senior administration officials later raised concerns about the optics of the no-bid deal, VTC gave two other vendors a chance to vie for the job in May, but under tight deadlines dictated by a desire to roll the video out by June. —Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2022

But critics of Newsom’s proposal said pushing the bulk of the special session into next year shows that Democrats’ tough rhetoric was always about optics, not driving results. —Dustin Gardiner, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Dec. 2022

After more than a century, Leupold knows a thing or two about optics. —Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley, Outside Online, 26 Oct. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing optics

• adaptive optics
• electron optics
• electro-optics
• fiber optics

Kids Definition

optics

noun

op·​tics ˈäp-tiks 

: a science that deals with the nature and properties of light and the effects that it undergoes and produces

Medical Definition

optics

noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction

op·​tics ˈäp-tiks 

1

: a science that deals with the genesis and propagation of light, the changes that it undergoes and produces, and other phenomena closely associated with it

2

: optical properties