objective

American  

[uhb-jek-tiv] / əbˈdʒɛk tɪv /

noun

• objectives
  plural

1. something that one's efforts or actions are intended to attain or accomplish; purpose; goal; target: the objective of a fund-raising drive.

   the objective of a military attack;

   the objective of a fund-raising drive.

   Synonyms:

   aim, destination, object

2. Grammar.

   1. Also called objective case.  (in English and some other languages) a case specialized for the use of a form as the object of a transitive verb or of a preposition, as him in The boy hit him, or me in He comes to me with his troubles.

   2. a word in that case.

3. Also called object glass, object lens.  Also called objective lens.  Optics. (in a telescope, microscope, camera, or other optical system) the lens or combination of lenses that first receives the rays from the object and forms the image in the focal plane of the eyepiece, as in a microscope, or on a plate or screen, as in a camera.

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adjective

1. being the object or goal of one's efforts or actions.

2. not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased.

   an objective opinion.

   Synonyms:

   disinterested, impersonal, fair, impartial

   Antonyms:

   personal

3. intent upon or dealing with things external to the mind rather than with thoughts or feelings, as a person or a book.

4. being the object of perception or thought; belonging to the object of thought rather than to the thinking subject (opposed to subjective).

5. of or relating to something that can be known, or to something that is an object or a part of an object; existing independent of thought or an observer as part of reality.

6. Grammar.

   1. pertaining to the use of a form as the object of a transitive verb or of a preposition.

   2. (in English and some other languages) noting the objective case.

   3. similar to such a case in meaning.

   4. (in case grammar) pertaining to the semantic role of a noun phrase that denotes something undergoing a change of state or bearing a neutral relation to the verb, as the rock in The rock moved or in The child threw the rock.

7. being part of or pertaining to an object to be drawn.

   an objective plane.

8. Medicine/Medical. (of a symptom) discernible to others as well as the patient.

objective British  

/ əbˈdʒɛktɪv, ˌɒbdʒɛkˈtaɪvəl /

adjective

1. existing independently of perception or an individual's conceptions

   are there objective moral values?

2. undistorted by emotion or personal bias

3. of or relating to actual and external phenomena as opposed to thoughts, feelings, etc

4. med (of disease symptoms) perceptible to persons other than the individual affected

5. grammar denoting a case of nouns and pronouns, esp in languages having only two cases, that is used to identify the direct object of a finite verb or preposition and for various other purposes. In English the objective case of pronouns is also used in many elliptical constructions (as in Poor me! Who, him? ), as the subject of a gerund (as in It was me helping him ), informally as a predicate complement (as in It's me ), and in nonstandard use as part of a compound subject (as in John, Larry, and me went fishing ) See also accusative

6. of, or relating to a goal or aim

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noun

1. the object of one's endeavours; goal; aim

2. Also called: objective point.  military a place or position towards which forces are directed

3. an actual phenomenon; reality

4. grammar

   1. the objective case

   2. a word or speech element in the objective case

5. Also called: object glass.  optics

   1. the lens or combination of lenses nearest to the object in an optical instrument

   2. the lens or combination of lenses forming the image in a camera or projector

objective Scientific  

/ əb-jĕk′tĭv /

1. The lens or mirror in a microscope or other optical instrument that first receives light rays from the object and forms the image.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• objectiveness
  noun
• objectivity
  noun
• semiobjectiveness
  noun
• objectival
  adjective
• preobjective
  adjective
• quasi-objective
  adjective
• semiobjective
  adjective
• unobjective
  adjective
• objectively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• objectives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of objective

First recorded in 1610–20; from Medieval Latin objectīvus, equivalent to Latin object(us) ( see object) + -īvus adjective suffix ( see -ive)

Explanation

An objective is something you plan to achieve. A military objective is the overall plan for a mission. The objective for a bake sale is to raise money. If your objective is to learn a new word, you have succeeded. An objective is the point of something. If you don’t understand the objective of a class, then you don’t know what you were supposed to learn. The word itself is often used in business or work. Another meaning of objective is “looking at things in a detached, impartial, fact-based way.” If a police officer falls in love with a witness, it might be hard for her to stay objective. The word comes from the Latin ob "against" + jacere "to throw.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

objective objectives

Under Austrian law, "a distinction between men and women may only be made if there is a special, objective justification for it", she said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

For Sivanandan, the next objective is to reach grandmaster status as soon as possible.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Achieving this kind of cyclic operation has been an important objective for researchers working on quantum heat engines.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

But creating an objective, fact-based way of measuring this and using it to establish appropriate drug pricing is our best chance to ensure we keep rewarding innovation while making healthcare accessible and affordable to everyone.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

It’s like he was so obsessed with protecting the house that he forgot the main objective was to actually protect everyone inside of it.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

This has given the group tax and regulatory advantages, and allows it to carry out charitable activities, but experts say that its dual non-profit and commercial objectives have sometimes led to governance issues.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

“PG&E’s objectives remain unchanged: safely and reliably serve our customers, ensure wildfire victims are compensated quickly and fairly, and protect customer affordability,” PG&E said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Policies should be targeted, with explicit and well-defined objectives, and feature a governance framework to guarantee political accountability and minimize the risk of corruption. 

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Explaining the move, Abu Dhabi said it "serves our national interests and long-term strategic objectives".

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

Mr. Staphopoulos believed that flexing your toes cleared your mind and that once your mind was clear, it was easy to isolate your objectives and figure out what to do next.

From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo

Related Words

• detached
• disinterested
• dispassionate
• equitable
• evenhanded
• nonpartisan
• open-minded
• unbiased