subjective

American  

[suhb-jek-tiv] / səbˈdʒɛk tɪv /

adjective

1. existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought (objective ).

   Synonyms:

   mental

2. pertaining to or characteristic of an individual; personal; individual.

   a subjective evaluation.

3. placing excessive emphasis on one's own moods, attitudes, opinions, etc.; unduly egocentric.

4. Philosophy. relating to or of the nature of an object as it is known in the mind as distinct from a thing in itself.

5. relating to properties or specific conditions of the mind as distinguished from general or universal experience.

6. pertaining to the subject or substance in which attributes inhere; essential.

   Synonyms:

   inherent, substantial

7. Grammar.

   1. pertaining to or constituting the subject of a sentence.

   2. (in English and certain other languages) noting a case specialized for that use, as He in He hit the ball.

   3. similar to such a case in meaning.

8. Obsolete. characteristic of a political subject; submissive.

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subjective British  

/ səbˈdʒɛktɪv /

adjective

1. belonging to, proceeding from, or relating to the mind of the thinking subject and not the nature of the object being considered

2. of, relating to, or emanating from a person's emotions, prejudices, etc

   subjective views

3. relating to the inherent nature of a person or thing; essential

4. existing only as perceived and not as a thing in itself

5. med (of a symptom, condition, etc) experienced only by the patient and incapable of being recognized or studied by anyone else

6. grammar denoting a case of nouns and pronouns, esp in languages having only two cases, that identifies the subject of a finite verb and (in formal use in English) is selected for predicate complements, as in It is I See also nominative

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noun

1. grammar

   1. the subjective case

   2. a subjective word or speech element

Other Word Forms

• nonsubjective adjective
• nonsubjectiveness noun
• quasi-subjective adjective
• subjectively adverb
• subjectiveness noun
• subjectivity noun
• unsubjective adjective

Etymology

Origin of subjective

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: “submissive to a ruler,” from Latin subjectīvus; subject, -ive

Explanation

Things that are subjective are open to interpretation. If you go see a movie about a jewel thief, the topic is not subjective. But whether it's a good movie or not is subjective. Subjective things depend on your own ideas and opinions: there isn't any universal truth. Subjective is the opposite of objective, which refers to things that are more clear-cut. That Earth has one moon is objective — it's a fact. Whether the moon is pretty or not is subjective — not everyone will agree. Facts are objective, but opinions are subjective. What's the best song, band, movie, or TV show? These are all very subjective issues. There's no right answer.

Example Sentences

The word “morally” carries a weight with different subjective meanings.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

"They're quite wordy so you could argue that a lot of subjective marking could happen," Polley said.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Musical tastes are subjective, but the feel-good hit plows through all barriers.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

Still, the book’s most profound revelation is the degree to which the story of Motown is the story of competing memories and subjective accounts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

In truth, the tests were subjective at best, one exploding bottle difficult to compare to another.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• abstract
• biased
• idiosyncratic
• illusory
• instinctive
• intuitive
• personal