standpoint
Americannoun
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the point or place at which a person stands to view something.
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the mental position, attitude, etc., from which a person views and judges things.
From the lawyer's standpoint, her client is right.
noun
Etymology
Origin of standpoint
Explanation
Your standpoint is the position, either physical or mental, from which you perceive things. From a practical standpoint, your parents might want you to study accounting—but you're determined to follow your dream of becoming a professional mime. You can also call your standpoint your "point of view." From the standpoint of your position across the room, you can just barely see your friends watching a televised soccer match and cheering on their favorite teams. From your standpoint as a basketball fan, you find soccer incredibly boring. It's the outlook you have on life or certain subjects that gives you this second kind of standpoint. The word comes directly from the German equivalent, Standpunkt.
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.
From a strictly formal standpoint, it is more probable for the patterns that make up our memories and observations to arise from random entropy fluctuations than from a real sequence of past events.
From Science Daily • May 3, 2026
From a fundamental standpoint, as long as tensions in the Middle East persist, the economic environment remains conducive to a weaker yen, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
"From an environmental standpoint, eco-friendly charcoal contributes to sanitation. And it also reduces the effects of climate change. It also helps combat deforestation," says Oumarou.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
Wetlands are still often protected from a development standpoint, and so, in addition to infill, require pricey, lengthy permitting.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
From Berkeley’s standpoint, the meeting came off as a roaring success.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
