noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A decision rule used for minimizing the maximum possible loss, or maximizing the minimum gain.

Verb

1. 1
   To invest heavily into one skill or ability, to the end of maximizing some beneficial effect.
2. 2
   To find the optimum play, or decision, to achieve minimizing the maximum loss.

Etymology

Blend of mini(mum) + max(imum).

Related phrases

Courant minimax principlegame theory

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.