aspect

American  

[as-pekt] / ˈæs pɛkt /

noun

• aspects
  plural

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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Synonym Usage

See appearance.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• aspects
  plural

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

See Examples For:

aspect aspects

"But privately it still scares me," she confided, adding she prioritises the "human" aspect of her work.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

“Mrs. Trump played no role whatsoever in organizing the wedding event and was not privy to any aspect of its financial planning.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

"The current race towards ever more powerful AI is a step change towards greater existential risks to every aspect of our lives."

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Of course there is also the moral aspect to all this.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

It was a station-platform kiss—spontaneous enough to begin with, but rather inhibited in the follow-through, and with somewhat of a forehead-bumping aspect.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

Rather than testing people directly, they recreated aspects of human digestion in the laboratory.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

But these aspects of surrogacy do not make the surrogate the child’s parent.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

A Plaid Cymru government minister praised aspects of the scheme but did not say whether it would continue in its current form.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Other aspects of the initiative include fan-friendly ticket pricing, pregame concerts for tailgaters and Bruin legends calling the team to the field before every home game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Some aspects of Islamic law are observed in Iran's legal system, but today the country mostly operates under civil law, ratified by the parliament.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Related Words

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