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

“The lab allowed Johnson and Skenes to analyze every aspect of his delivery in three dimensions, pinpointing inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement,” Mr. Friedman writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

And they broker all sorts of meetings for us in the writers room with experts from every aspect of the healthcare spectrum you can imagine.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The sales outlook was a disappointing aspect of SolarEdge’s otherwise good earnings, RBC Capital Markets’ Chris Dendrinos said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Some victims, including Louw, have expressed frustrations that the Met is not focusing on the trafficking aspect of the alleged offences.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

Some historians and mathematicians argue that the Parthenon, the majestic Athenian temple, was built so that the golden ratio is visible in every aspect of its construction.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

The models incorporate aspects of animal physiology related to energy intake and reproduction.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

But then again, movies tend to make the most sense out of the aspects of life that are neither pretty nor easy.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

Jeffry Bartash took a deeper look at the positive and negative aspects of the U.S. labor market and employment opportunities.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

Chairman Kevin Warsh, who has pledged to re-examine fundamental aspects of how the Fed operates, has committed to reducing inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

“I do not know the nature of this first test, which is why you need to be as prepared as possible in all aspects of your training.”

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

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