resolving power

noun

1
: the ability of an optical system to form distinguishable images of objects separated by small angular distances
2
: the ability of a photographic film or plate to reproduce the fine detail of an optical image

Examples of resolving power in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The farther apart two dishes are, the better the resolving power of that array. — Erika K Carlson, Discover Magazine, 10 Apr. 2019 These Olympus 10x25 offer a great compromise between resolving power, weight, and price. — Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 25 June 2025 In this way, the electron energy sets the maximum resolving power of a deep inelastic scattering experiment. — Quanta Magazine, 19 Oct. 2022 The long axis delivers the crucial 20-meter resolving power in one direction, enough to separate a planet from its star at 30 light-years. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025 The lenses on our phones simply don't have the light-gathering and resolving power that the detachable senses of DSLR and mirrorless cameras do. — Eric Zeman, PCMAG, 4 Mar. 2025 The camera, together with the telescope’s optics, will have enough resolving power to see an object the size of a golf ball 15 miles away—or, equivalently, an object the size of the White House on the moon. — Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2024 Image-processing software and other enhancements may have endowed the current crop of KH-11 satellites with resolving power as good as 10 cm. — IEEE Spectrum, 23 Feb. 2022 To detect molecular oxygen, the gold-standard biosignature on a planet like our own, HWO needs a visible-light resolving power of about 140. — Paul Sutter, Space.com, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of resolving power was in 1879

Rhymes for resolving power

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Browse Nearby Words

resolvible
resolving power
resolving time
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Cite this Entry

“Resolving power.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resolving%20power. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Medical Definition

resolving power

noun
: the ability of an optical system to form distinguishable images of objects separated by small angular distances

More from Merriam-Webster on resolving power

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about resolving power

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