Definition of objective
1a : relating to or existing as an object of thought without consideration of independent existence —used chiefly in medieval philosophyb : 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 3ac of a symptom of disease : perceptible to persons other than the affected individual objective arthritis — compare subjective 4cd : 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.”
3a : 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 judgmentb 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.
objectively
adverbobjectiveness
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
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
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If the Met’s trying to be objective, objectively Egypt should be closer to Africa.
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The Enquirer has some excellent (an objective fact) podcasts to choose from: Or see our staff picks.
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No need to bother debating or even considering the substance of their arguments or the objective facts of the matter.
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These were two of the best players in the league last season by most objective measure, and two of the game’s brightest in terms of orchestrating offense.
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In a touchy-feely world, there's nothing quite as hard-driving (and attractive) as objective results.
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With no objective scale for measuring pain, doctors are hampered in treating patients with chronic discomfort.
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But some conservative organizations complained that the center’s lumping them together with violent racist groups wasn’t based on objective research, but on a political agenda.
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The film moves to a tone of Latin American magical realism as the end approaches, fantastic elements competing with objective truth.
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
Synonym Discussion of objective
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
Definition of objective
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
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The document outlines learning objectives for students, but each district will decide on how to develop their own programs.
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Those who remember that early period recall that the initial objective was to create little more than a storefront room with some display cases of old photos and artifacts.
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The dishonest media will never keep us from accomplishing our objectives on behalf of our great American people.
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But as with all SpaceX launches, the landings are a secondary objective.
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The new Russian threat leaves coalition commanders with several options for pursuing their objectives without getting into a full-scale conflict with Russia.
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That duty requires board members to stay objective, unselfish, responsible, honest, trustworthy and efficient, and to act as stewards of public trust, according to Guidestar and other organizations that monitor nonprofits.
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The first objective is to implement pipeline safety requirements for Line 1600.
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The film documents Beckey’s struggles to climb big objectives into his 90s.
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
1835
Synonym Discussion of objective
OBJECTIVE Defined for English Language Learners
objective
playDefinition of objective for English Language Learners
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: based on facts rather than feelings or opinions : not influenced by feelings
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philosophy : existing outside of the mind : existing in the real world
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grammar : relating to nouns, noun phrases, or pronouns that are the objects of verbs or prepositions
objective
playDefinition of objective for English Language Learners
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: something you are trying to do or achieve : a goal or purpose
OBJECTIVE Defined for Kids
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
objectively
adverbMedical Dictionary
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 objective reality
2: perceptible to persons other than the affected individual an objective symptom of disease—compare subjective 2b
objectively
adverbobjective
Medical Definition of objective
1: a lens or system of lenses that forms an image of an object
2: something toward which effort is directed
Learn More about objective
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See words that rhyme with objective Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for objective Spanish Central: Translation of objective Nglish: Translation of objective for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of objective for Arabic speakers
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