aspect

noun

as·​pect ˈa-ˌspekt How to pronounce aspect (audio)
1
a
: a particular status or phase in which something appears or may be regarded
They studied every aspect of the question.
b(1)
: appearance to the eye or mind
the threatening aspect of the dark sky
(2)
: a particular appearance of the face : mien
… all that's best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes.Lord Byron
2
a
: the position of planets or stars with respect to one another held by astrologers to influence human affairs
also : the apparent position (such as conjunction) of a body in the solar system with respect to the sun
b
: a position facing a particular direction : exposure
a house with a southern aspect
c
: the manner of presentation of a plane to a fluid through which it is moving or to a current
3
grammar
a
: the nature of the action of a verb as to its beginning, duration, completion, or repetition and without reference to its position in time
b
: a set of inflected (see inflect sense 1) verb forms that indicate aspect
4
archaic : an act of looking : gaze
aspectual adjective

Did you know?

Since aspectus in Latin means "looked at", an aspect of something is basically the direction from which it's looked at. So we may say that travel is your favorite aspect of your job, or that eating well is one aspect of a healthy life. If you look at a stage set from the front, it looks completely different than from behind, where all the mechanisms are visible, and both aspects are important. The word can be very useful when you're analyzing something, and it's used a great deal in the writings of scholars.

Examples of aspect in a Sentence

depending on what aspect of college life you consider most important, there are several colleges which might be good for you he has the aspect of a man used to giving orders and seeing them obeyed
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Designed so people using wheelchairs could easily access sidewalks, this aspect of urban infrastructure also improved mobility for delivery workers, people with luggage and parents with strollers. Subha Barry, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025 Not just because of the whole water aspect, but the lack of infrastructure on bodies of water. Roberto Baldwin, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2025 Although Krypto's big screen debut was a relatively recent development, the pup has a rich but very complex and often contradictory comic book history—and the way Superman deals with all that history speaks to one of the strongest aspects of the movie as a piece of superhero comic adaptation. James Grebey, Time, 10 July 2025 Lack of draws leads to early eliminations The most striking aspect of the first 16 matches in this competition is the lack of draws. Michael Cox, New York Times, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for aspect

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin aspectus, from aspicere to look at, from ad- + specere to look — more at spy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of aspect was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Aspect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aspect. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

aspect

noun
as·​pect ˈas-ˌpekt How to pronounce aspect (audio)
1
: a position facing a certain direction : exposure
2
: a certain way in which something appears or may be regarded
studied every aspect of the question
3
: the way something appears

Medical Definition

aspect

noun
as·​pect ˈas-ˌpekt How to pronounce aspect (audio)
1
: the part of an object (as an organ) in a particular position
the medial aspects of the kneesR. H. Nyquist
2
: a particular status or phase in which something appears or may be regarded
the medicolegal aspects of pregnancyBulletin of Meharry Medical College

More from Merriam-Webster on aspect

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