objectively
Americanadverb
-
in a way that is not influenced by personal feelings or prejudices.
An outsider can consider the dispute more objectively than people who are directly involved.
-
in a way that can be known, measured, or proven.
A new method is being developed to objectively analyze how climate change is affecting ocean surface temperatures.
Other Word Forms
- quasi-objectively adverb
- semiobjectively adverb
- unobjectively adverb
Etymology
Origin of objectively
First recorded in 1590–1600, for an earlier sense; objective ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
Explanation
When you do something objectively, you do it with an open mind, considering the facts rather than your personal feelings. A spelling bee judge has to make decisions objectively. Being able to think objectively is important for many jobs — teachers shouldn't favor certain students, but ought to act objectively, and of course lawyers and judges are expected to think objectively. Chess players and historians are more successful if they think objectively as well. The adverb comes from its related adjective, objective, by way of the Medieval Latin objectum, "thing presented to the mind," combining ob-, "in the way of" with jacere, "to throw."
Vocabulary lists containing objectively
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 61-70
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Just Mercy
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Americanized
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She’s objectively off-putting, which makes her bitingly human.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
For local BBC Russian staff it meant having to leave the country if they wanted to continue objectively and safely reporting on it.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
Despite this, we’ll keep an open mind and evaluate Avast’s VPN offering as objectively as possible.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
Segal’s first novel, “Other People’s Houses,” is a precise, objectively observed recasting of her autobiography that empathetically depicts the five families that fostered her in England.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
The Hymn is written objectively, simply, without a touch of affectation.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
