aspect

American  

[as-pekt] / ˈæs pɛkt /

noun

1. appearance to the eye or mind; look.

   the physical aspect of the country.

2. nature; quality; character.

   the superficial aspect of the situation.

3. a way in which a thing may be viewed or regarded; interpretation; view.

   both aspects of a decision.

4. part; feature; phase.

   That is the aspect of the problem that interests me most.

5. facial expression; countenance.

   He wore an aspect of gloom. Hers was an aspect of happy optimism.

6. bearing; air; mien.

   warlike in aspect.

7. view commanded; exposure.

   The house has a southern aspect.

   Synonyms:

   outlook, prospect

8. the side or surface facing a given direction.

   the dorsal aspect of a fish; the northern aspect of the house.

9. Grammar.

   1. a category or interrelated set of categories for which the verb is inflected in some languages, typically to indicate the duration, repetition, completion, or quality of the action or state denoted by the verb.

   2. a set of syntactic devices, as in the English perfect with have in I have gone, with functions similar to such inflections.

   3. any of the members or instances of these categories or sets.

      the Latin perfect aspect; the Russian imperfect aspect.

   4. the meaning of, or meaning typical of, such a category or construction.

   5. such categories or constructions, or their meanings collectively.

10. Astrology.

    1. the angular distance between two points as seen from the earth, primarily derived by dividing the 360 degrees of the zodiac by the integers 1 through 12.

    2. the influence of any two planets or groups of planets located at such points.

11. Archaic. a look; glance.

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aspect British  

/ ˈæspɛkt /

noun

1. appearance to the eye; visual effect

   the physical aspect of the landscape

2. a distinct feature or element in a problem, situation, etc; facet

   to consider every aspect of a problem

3. the way in which a problem, idea, etc, may be considered

   to consider a problem from every aspect

4. a facial expression; manner of appearing

   a severe aspect

5. a position facing a particular direction; outlook

   the southern aspect of a house

6. a view in a certain direction

   a good aspect of the village from the tower

7. a surface that faces in a given direction

   the ventral aspect of a fish

8. astrology any of several specific angular distances between two planets or a planet and the Ascendant or Midheaven measured, from the earth, in degrees along the ecliptic

9. grammar a category of verbs or verbal inflections that expresses such features as the continuity, repetition, or completedness of the action described Compare perfective progressive progressive

10. botany

    1. the compass direction to which a plant habitat is exposed, or the degree of exposure

    2. the effect of the seasons on the appearance of plants

11. archaic glance or gaze

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Related Words

See appearance.

Etymology

Origin of aspect

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin aspectus “appearance, visible form, the action of looking at,” equivalent to aspec- (variant stem of aspicere “to observe, look at,” from a- a- ⁵ + -spicere, combining form of specere “to see”) + -tus suffix of verbal action

Explanation

Aspect means a part or feature of something. If you are going to vote for a candidate, you should first learn about the various aspects of her political agenda. At the heart of the word aspect is the Latin specere "look" (think spectacles). Later, the word became connected to the idea of what can be seen from a particular position. Whether that means you can see all of something (all aspects) or only part (one aspect) depends on where you are standing and how hard you are looking.

Example Sentences

Physicist Alain Aspect was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2022 for his experiments with entangled photons, the framework Pasqal was built upon.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Claudia Assis interviewed Alex Cranberg, the chair of Aspect Holdings, which invests in oil exploration and production projects.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 16, 2026

The EPA said the Aspect plane’s flights in East Palestine were consistent with past missions, but that doesn’t match Kroutil’s experience.

From Seattle Times • May 14, 2024

Trend-following hedge funds are capitalising on market disruption and geopolitical unrest, with funds such as Graham Capital Management, Aspect Capital, AlphaSimplex and AQR Capital Management all near or over 40% higher for the year.

From Reuters • Oct. 17, 2022

This record—the one Bat Lady had most recently played— was called Aspect of Juno by a group called HorsePower.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben

Related Words

• facet
• feature
• phase
• prospect
• situation
• view