Misoptimization

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The practice of improperly enhancing processes or systems that results in less effective outcomes
2. The act of optimizing in a way that reduces effectiveness or efficiency rather than improving it
3. An attempt to improve a system or process that actually leads to worse performance or results

Etymology: "Optimus" was the Latin word for "best," and English took it as the root of "optimum," meaning the most favorable condition or degree. "Optimize" grew from that noun, and "optimization" is the noun for the process of making something as good as possible. "Mis-" is an English prefix inherited from Old English, where it meant "wrongly" or "badly," as in "misdeed" and "mislead." Attaching it to "optimization" produces a word for an attempt to improve something that ends up making it worse. The result is a modern formation built from familiar parts rather than a term with an older history of its own.