adaptive optics

noun

plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: a telescopic system that improves image resolution by compensating for distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence

Examples of adaptive optics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The solution’s first step came in the form of adaptive optics. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Oct. 2025 Using laser guide stars and adaptive optics is still very much a young, developing technique only a handful of observatories worldwide have tapped into. — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 4 May 2026 But clever techniques can work around this limitation, including adaptive optics, which rapidly reshapes a mirror in the telescope to counter the motion of overlying air. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 27 Nov. 2025 D’Orgeville and her colleagues propose applying adaptive optics, a technique widely used in astronomy, to the problem of tracking the smaller pieces of debris, between 1 and 10 cm in size, which can be hard to see. — IEEE Spectrum, 14 May 2021 See All Example Sentences for adaptive optics

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of adaptive optics was in 1966

Browse Nearby Words

adaptive cruise control
adaptive optics
adaptive radiation
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Cite this Entry

“Adaptive optics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adaptive%20optics. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on adaptive optics

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about adaptive optics

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