subjective

American  

[suhb-jek-tiv] / səbˈdʒɛk tɪv /

adjective

1. existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought (objective ).

   Synonyms:

   mental

2. pertaining to or characteristic of an individual; personal; individual.

   a subjective evaluation.

3. placing excessive emphasis on one's own moods, attitudes, opinions, etc.; unduly egocentric.

4. Philosophy. relating to or of the nature of an object as it is known in the mind as distinct from a thing in itself.

5. relating to properties or specific conditions of the mind as distinguished from general or universal experience.

6. pertaining to the subject or substance in which attributes inhere; essential.

   Synonyms:

   inherent, substantial

7. Grammar.

   1. pertaining to or constituting the subject of a sentence.

   2. (in English and certain other languages) noting a case specialized for that use, as He in He hit the ball.

   3. similar to such a case in meaning.

8. Obsolete. characteristic of a political subject; submissive.

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subjective British  

/ səbˈdʒɛktɪv /

adjective

1. belonging to, proceeding from, or relating to the mind of the thinking subject and not the nature of the object being considered

2. of, relating to, or emanating from a person's emotions, prejudices, etc

   subjective views

3. relating to the inherent nature of a person or thing; essential

4. existing only as perceived and not as a thing in itself

5. med (of a symptom, condition, etc) experienced only by the patient and incapable of being recognized or studied by anyone else

6. grammar denoting a case of nouns and pronouns, esp in languages having only two cases, that identifies the subject of a finite verb and (in formal use in English) is selected for predicate complements, as in It is I See also nominative

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noun

1. grammar

   1. the subjective case

   2. a subjective word or speech element

Other Word Forms

• nonsubjective adjective
• nonsubjectiveness noun
• quasi-subjective adjective
• subjectively adverb
• subjectiveness noun
• subjectivity noun
• unsubjective adjective

Etymology

Origin of subjective

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: “submissive to a ruler,” from Latin subjectīvus; subject, -ive

Example Sentences

Researchers still do not fully understand how physical brain tissue gives rise to thoughts, emotions, and subjective experience.

From Science Daily

The quality of healthcare wasn’t factored into the ranking, he said, because that’s “highly subjective.”

From MarketWatch

Machines are no longer able to accurately detect if a video or image is definitively fake, and machines would struggle even more on the subjective judgement of whether or not content counts as 'slop'.

From BBC

Understanding the biological basis of subjective experience may help researchers develop better therapies for conditions such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia by narrowing the gap between animal studies and human emotional experience.

From Science Daily

While such valuations are subjective, they reflect economic performance and operate in a system in which demanding investors scrutinize risk, as opposed to depositors, who generally give it little thought.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abstract
• biased
• idiosyncratic
• illusory
• instinctive
• intuitive
• personal