objective

adjective ob·jec·tive \ əb-ˈjek-tiv , äb- \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of objective

1 a : relating to or existing as an object of thought without consideration of independent existence —used chiefly in medieval philosophy

b : of, relating to, or being an object, phenomenon, or condition in the realm of sensible experience independent of individual thought and perceptible by all observers : having reality independent of the mind

objective reality

… our reveries … are significantly and repeatedly shaped by our transactions with the objective world.
—Marvin Reznikoff

— compare subjective 3a

c of a symptom of disease : perceptible to persons other than the affected individual

objective arthritis

— compare subjective 4c

d : involving or deriving from sense perception or experience with actual objects, conditions, or phenomena

objective awareness

objective data

2 : relating to, characteristic of, or constituting the case of words that follow prepositions or transitive verbs

The pronoun her is in the objective case in the sentence "I saw her."

3 a : expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations

objective art

an objective history of the war

an objective judgment

b of a test : limited to choices of fixed alternatives and reducing subjective factors to a minimum

Each question on the objective test requires the selection of the correct answer from among several choices.

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objectively

adverb

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objectiveness

noun

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objectivity

play \ˌäb-ˌjek-ˈti-və-tē, əb-\ noun

See objective defined for English-language learners

See objective defined for kids

Examples of objective in a Sentence

For no matter how objective Server tries to appear in detailing the highs and lows of her 67 years—the three marriages, the numerous affairs, the binges, the nightlong cruising of low-life byways and bordellos, the mainly poor movies she was in—he cannot really hide his essential fondness for her. —Peter Bogdanovich, New York Times Book Review, 23 Apr. 2006
I'm not going to read the history about it while I'm alive because I don't trust short-term history. Most historians wouldn't have voted for me, so I don't think they can write an objective history. —George W. Bush, quoted in Time, 6 Sept. 2004
"I'm not really a Hollywood person," said Mr. [Clint] Eastwood, who lives mostly in Carmel. "Not that I don't like L.A., but I'm just a Northern California guy. And it's very hard to be objective about what you're doing in a town that's all consumed by the entertainment business." —Bernard Weinraub, New York Times, 6 Aug. 1992
We need someone outside the company to give us an objective analysis.
an objective assessment based solely upon the results of the experiment

Recent Examples of objective from the Web

But loneliness, both the subjective feeling and the objective reality, never seems that simple to solve.

— paul miller, The Verge, "Facebook quitting advice from a professional internet quitter," 12 Apr. 2018
Parties to such investigations enter a good-faith agreement to shed light on larger safety concerns through a rigorous, objective and independent analysis, officials said.

— author: faiz siddiqui, Anchorage Daily News, "Tesla may have violated federal rules by releasing information about fatal California crash," 3 Apr. 2018
But of greater concern is that this story — of merit artificially tweaked to engineer a certain racial demographic — implies that there is an objective way to measure who is deserving and who isn’t.

— alvin chang, Vox, "Asians are being used to make the case against affirmative action. Again.," 28 Mar. 2018
An objective look here suggests this is a distinction without a difference.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "5 facts that are STILL true about the Russia investigation," 14 Mar. 2018
But the justices couldn't agree on an objective way to measure partisanship.

— amber phillips, Washington Post, "Pennsylvania's Supreme Court just gave Democrats a big win on redistricting," 22 Jan. 2018
Like the sugar and tobacco lobbies, the NRA has paid for experts to distort scholarship with propaganda and suppress objective research.

— mari uyehara, GQ, "The Sliming of David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez," 30 Mar. 2018
But without objective observers and reporting in the region, there’s no way to verify if this is happening.

— kiran nazish, Vox, "Pakistan’s military is waging a quiet war on journalists," 27 Mar. 2018
Perception, then, was not passive and objective but active and subjective.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "The Mind-Expanding Ideas of Andy Clark," 26 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'objective.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of objective

1647

objective Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of objective

material, physical, corporeal, phenomenal, sensible, objective mean of or belonging to actuality. material implies formation out of tangible matter; used in contrast with spiritual or ideal it may connote the mundane, crass, or grasping.

- material values

physical applies to what is perceived directly by the senses and may contrast with mental, spiritual, or imaginary.

- the physical benefits of exercise

corporeal implies having the tangible qualities of a body such as shape, size, or resistance to force.

- artists have portrayed angels as corporeal beings

phenomenal applies to what is known or perceived through the senses rather than by intuition or rational deduction.

- scientists concerned with the phenomenal world

sensible stresses the capability of readily or forcibly impressing the senses.

- the earth's rotation is not sensible to us

objective may stress material or independent existence apart from a subject perceiving it.

- no objective evidence of damage

fair, just, equitable, impartial, unbiased, dispassionate, objective mean free from favor toward either or any side. fair implies a proper balance of conflicting interests.

- a fair decision

just implies an exact following of a standard of what is right and proper.

- a just settlement of territorial claims

equitable implies a less rigorous standard than just and usually suggests equal treatment of all concerned.

- the equitable distribution of the property

impartial stresses an absence of favor or prejudice.

- an impartial third party

unbiased implies even more strongly an absence of all prejudice.

- your unbiased opinion

dispassionate suggests freedom from the influence of strong feeling and often implies cool or even cold judgment.

- a dispassionate summation of the facts

objective stresses a tendency to view events or persons as apart from oneself and one's own interest or feelings.

- I can't be objective about my own child

objective

noun ob·jec·tive \ əb-ˈjek-tiv , äb- \

Definition of objective

1 : a lens or system of lenses that forms an image of an object

2 a : something toward which effort is directed : an aim, goal, or end of action

b : a strategic position to be attained or a purpose to be achieved by a military operation

See objective defined for English-language learners

Examples of objective in a Sentence

The first objective of the low-intensity war was to "bleed" India so that it would cut its losses and quit. —Pervez Hoodbhoy, Prospect, June 2003
The Orange Plan assumed an early Japanese capture of the Philippines, and made relief of the Philippines the main U.S. objective. —David M. Kennedy, Atlantic, March 1999
The President had largely stuck to his publicly stated goals—though the objective of smashing Iraq's military machine hadn't been so clear. —Elizabeth Drew, New Yorker, 6 May 1991
… their primary objective is not the enrollment of new voters but changing the party affiliation of old voters … —Lawrence King, Commonweal, 9 Oct. 1970
The main objective of the class is to teach basic typing skills.
She's expanding the business with the objective of improving efficiency.
We've set specific objectives for each day.

Recent Examples of objective from the Web

The long-term objective: to develop a full-fledged entertainment district, with more hotels and restaurants.

— jon chesto, BostonGlobe.com, "Wynn’s woes make it nail-biting time for Everett mayor," 12 Apr. 2018
Several days ago, a group of them talked about their goals and objectives, including Malcom and Mary Wood, Karen Heckerman, Thomas Pavlik and one other who prefers to remain anonymous.

— linda gandee/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Rocky River residents continue lakefront zoning protest," 27 Mar. 2018
Politicians have a rather different, and well-known, objective: getting elected and reelected.

— alan s. blinder, The New Republic, "An economist’s view of the American political process," 22 Mar. 2018
The process included an exhaustive review of the department’s programs, resources, planning, training, goals, objectives and more.

— jerry fallstrom, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Clermont Fire Department, Leesburg Police Department earn accreditation," 15 Mar. 2018
The Rockets Are Exactly the Kind of Wake-Up Call the Warriors Need Houston is a team designed with a singular objective: to take down Golden State.

— nathaniel friedman, GQ, "The Rockets Are Exactly the Kind of Wake-Up Call the Warriors Need," 15 Mar. 2018
The objective is to literally clone the person's scalp and skin.

— teryn payne, Allure, "This Lace-Front Wig Is So Perfectly Blended, It’s Going Viral," 13 Mar. 2018
Our objective: to reach 50% women in top management positions across LVMH by 2020.

— ingrid schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, "Style Notes: The Story Behind 'A Wrinkle in Time' Hair; Reese Witherspoon & Danai Gurira's Powerful Talks on UN Women's Panel," 9 Mar. 2018
Even more mundane and mainstream policy responses — like stiffening sentences for existing gun crimes — threaten core left-wing objectives, such as ending mass incarceration.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "On Guns, Liberals Are Flirting With the Politics of Fear. That’s Scary.," 22 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of objective

1835

objective Synonyms

Synonyms

aim, ambition, aspiration, design, dream, end, goal, idea, ideal, intent, intention, mark, meaning, object, plan, point, pretension, purpose, target, thing;

Near Antonyms

means, method, way;

Related Words

grail, holy grail;

plot, project, scheme;

desire, hope, mind, wish;

nirvana;

destination, terminus;

Phrases

name of the game;

Synonym Discussion of objective

intention, intent, purpose, design, aim, end, object, objective, goal mean what one intends to accomplish or attain. intention implies little more than what one has in mind to do or bring about.

- announced his intention to marry

intent suggests clearer formulation or greater deliberateness.

- the clear intent of the statute

purpose suggests a more settled determination.

- being successful was her purpose in life

design implies a more carefully calculated plan.

- the order of events came by accident, not design

aim adds to these implications of effort directed toward attaining or accomplishing.

- her aim was to raise film to an art form

end stresses the intended effect of action often in distinction or contrast to the action or means as such.

- willing to use any means to achieve his end

object may equal end but more often applies to a more individually determined wish or need.

- his constant object was the achievement of pleasure

objective implies something tangible and immediately attainable.

- their objective is to seize the oil fields

goal suggests something attained only by prolonged effort and hardship.

- worked years to reach her goals

OBJECTIVE Defined for English Language Learners

objective

adjective

Definition of objective for English Language Learners

: based on facts rather than feelings or opinions : not influenced by feelings
philosophy : existing outside of the mind : existing in the real world
grammar : relating to nouns, noun phrases, or pronouns that are the objects of verbs or prepositions

objective

noun

Definition of objective for English Language Learners

: something you are trying to do or achieve : a goal or purpose

OBJECTIVE Defined for Kids

objective

adjective ob·jec·tive \ əb-ˈjek-tiv \

Definition of objective for Students

1 : dealing with facts without allowing personal feelings to confuse them

an objective report

2 : being or belonging to the case of a noun or pronoun that is an object of a transitive verb or a preposition

3 : being outside of the mind and independent of it

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objectively

adverb

objective

noun

Definition of objective for Students

: purpose, goal Before you begin the experiment, state your objective.

Medical Dictionary

objective

adjective ob·jec·tive \ əb-ˈjek-tiv, äb- \

medical Definition of objective

1 : of, relating to, or being an object, phenomenon, or condition in the realm of sensible experience independent of individual thought and perceptible by all observers