point of view

American  

[point uhv vyoo] / ˈpɔɪnt əv ˈvju /

noun

1. a specified or stated manner of consideration or appraisal; standpoint: POV

   from the point of view of a doctor.

2. an opinion, attitude, or judgment: POV

   He refuses to change his point of view in the matter.

3. the position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator's outlook from which the events are depicted and by the attitude toward the characters. POV

4. Movies. a method of shooting a scene or film that expresses the attitude of the director or writer toward the material or of a character in a scene. POV

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point of view British  

noun

1. a position from which someone or something is observed

2. a mental viewpoint or attitude

3. the mental position from which a story is observed or narrated

   the omniscient point of view

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point of view Idioms  

1. An attitude or standpoint, how one sees or thinks of something. For example, From the manufacturer's point of view, the critical issue is cost. This expression, originally alluding to one's vantage point in seeing a building or painting or other object, dates from the early 1700s.

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Etymology

Origin of point of view

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

After Johnson read her sister’s book and saw more of her point of view, a thaw started.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026

“I think Indigenous people have been hugely influential in giving us a point of view in which we were never separate from nature,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

From the Chinese point of view, the timing is exquisite.

From Salon • Jun. 21, 2026

"I just think it's another way of getting adverts into it from an American point of view," he said.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026

From the Secret Service’s point of view, the less visible we could be, the better.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• angle
• attitude
• opinion
• orientation
• outlook
• perspective
• position
• standpoint