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View synonyms for objective

objective

[ uhb-jek-tiv ]

noun

  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 ob·jec·tive case [uh, b-, jek, -tiv , keys]. (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,. 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.


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 ( 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

/ 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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the object of one's endeavours; goal; aim
  2. Also calledobjective 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 calledobject 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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

objective

/ əb-jĕktĭv /

  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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Derived Forms

  • ˌobjecˈtivity, noun
  • obˈjectively, adverb
  • objectival, adjective
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Other Words From

  • ob·jec·tive·ly adverb
  • ob·jec·tive·ness noun
  • pre·ob·jec·tive adjective
  • qua·si-ob·jec·tive adjective
  • sem·i·ob·jec·tive adjective
  • sem·i·ob·jec·tive·ness noun
  • un·ob·jec·tive adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of objective1

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

The new milking plan is designed as a step-by-step plan, with the end goal of eradicating the disease from the nation’s herds — an objective few epidemiologists or virologists think, at this point, is possible.

Wilson admits to being frustrated by this, but points to the objective reality that many Trump supporters still supported her efforts to protect their natural resources.

From Salon

“Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of “DOGE” for a very long time.”

From BBC

“The scientific community looks forward to working with him to advance our exploration objectives,” she says.

But laws that discriminate based on sex are subject to heightened scrutiny, a much more demanding form of review that requires states to demonstrate that the laws are substantially related to achieving an important objective.

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