viewpoint

American  

[vyoo-point] / ˈvjuˌpɔɪnt /

noun

• viewpoints
  plural

1. a place affording a view of something; position of observation.

   to sketch a river from the viewpoint of a bluff.

2. an attitude of mind, or the circumstances of an individual that conduce to such an attitude.

   new marketing techniques seen from the consumer's viewpoint.

   Synonyms:

   angle, stance, position, perspective, standpoint

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viewpoint British  

/ ˈvjuːˌpɔɪnt /

noun

1. the mental attitude that determines a person's opinions or judgments; point of view

2. a place from which something can be viewed

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• viewpoints
  plural

Etymology

Origin of viewpoint

First recorded in 1855–60; alteration of point of view, modeled on standpoint

Explanation

Your viewpoint is the particular way you see the world, or your distinct perspective on things. It’s literally your point of view! To stop arguing with someone, try to see things from their viewpoint so you can kiss and make up. Use viewpoint to talk about a person's individual attitude about things. A parent, for example, often has a different viewpoint about bedtime than a child does. Conflicts in politics come up due to differing viewpoints on issues like taxes, welfare, and defense. Another way to say viewpoint is "point of view." The earliest meaning of viewpoint was in the physical sense, as when you stand on the roof of a building to get a great viewpoint of the city.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

viewpoint viewpoints

Asked by reporters about video circulating on social media that appears to show the helicopter's viewpoint in the seconds before the crash, Salazar said it is so far "probably the most important evidence" for investigators.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

At the viewpoint, Olsi got out his phone and pulled up the resort proposals, holding the map against the landscape.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

From the viewpoint of a stationary observer on Earth, diffusely scattered light begins to be directed forward, toward the direction in which the sail is traveling.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026

The agency cannot lawfully act as a viewpoint censor.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026

A much more representative viewpoint is that of a three-year-old girl dying from malnutrition in first-century China because her father’s crops have failed.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

“Gene Roddenberry felt that our strength was in that diversity. Not just physical and racial diversity, but diversity of viewpoints, diversity of experience and background, diversity of personal passions.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

By analyzing that information, the system can generate images of people from multiple viewpoints.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Their claims of competitive harm are as sprawling as Hollywood mogul estates, including that the deal will reduce diversity in viewpoints.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

The best approach may be to minimize the “multiplicity” of conflicting voices and viewpoints coming out of the Fed, said Alan Blinder, former Fed vice chair and professor at Princeton University.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

But to Sophie’s dismay, her Nazi teachers did not tolerate disagreement or discussion of other viewpoints.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

• angle
• aspect
• attitude
• direction
• frame of reference
• outlook
• perspective
• point of view
• posture
• slant
• stance
• standpoint
• vantage point
• view