Definition of "metaheuristic" []

• An experimental heuristic method for solving a general class of computational problems by combining user procedures in the hope of obtaining a more efficient or robust procedure. (noun)

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• "INFORMS is the most popular professional organization relating to the theory and practice of operations research - which includes numerical optimization, metaheuristic search techniques, and increasingly"
• "One of the keystones in practical metaheuristic problem-solving is the fact that tuning the optimization technique to the problem under consideration is crucial for achieving top performance."