subjective

[ suhb-jek-tiv ]
See synonyms for subjective on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought (opposed to objective).

  2. pertaining to or characteristic of an individual; personal; individual: a subjective evaluation.

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

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

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

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

  5. Grammar.

    • pertaining to or constituting the subject of a sentence.

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

    • similar to such a case in meaning.: Compare nominative.

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

Origin of subjective

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: “submissive to a ruler,” from Latin subjectīvus; see subject, -ive

Other words for subjective

Other words from subjective

  • sub·jec·tive·ly, adverb
  • sub·jec·tive·ness, noun
  • non·sub·jec·tive, adjective
  • non·sub·jec·tive·ness, noun
  • qua·si-sub·jec·tive, adjective
  • un·sub·jec·tive, adjective

Words Nearby subjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use subjective in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subjective

subjective

/ (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

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

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

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

  4. 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 (def. 1)

noun
  1. grammar

    • the subjective case

    • a subjective word or speech element

  • Abbreviation: subj

Derived forms of subjective

  • subjectively, adverb
  • subjectivity or subjectiveness, noun

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