a term used to refer to the way something appears, in contrast to the original definition meaning the science of light and its effects; this usage likely arose due to superficial association of its technical origins with the act of viewing something in an attempt to appear proficient or masterful, as in “I don’t like the optics on this page, let’s change it before we share it publicly”; the word has been figuratively extended to indicate how an action could be perceived, especially in the context of public relations or politics, as in “Sure you could take a job with that donor, but the optics wouldn’t be great”