objective

adjective

ob·jec·tive | \ əb-ˈjek-tiv

, äb- \

Definition of objective

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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.

2a : 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 sense 3a

b : involving or deriving from sense perception or experience with actual objects, conditions, or phenomena objective awareness objective data

c of a symptom of disease : perceptible to persons other than the affected individual objective arthritis — compare subjective sense 4c

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

3 : 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."

objective

noun

ob·jec·tive | \ əb-ˈjek-tiv

, äb- \

Definition of objective (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : 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

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

Other Words from objective Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about objective

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Choose the Right Synonym for objective

Adjective

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

Noun

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

Examples of objective in a Sentence

Adjective 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 Noun 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 on the Web: Adjective Gase has been a disaster by every objective measure. — Manish Mehta, courant.com, "Five questions winless Jets can answer in season’s final seven weeks," 18 Nov. 2020 The difficulty with using only objective market evidence to answer that question is that the evidence usually points in both directions. — Rebecca Haw Allensworth, Quartz, "As regulators close in, Zuck’s long email trail poses an existential threat to Facebook," 23 Dec. 2020 The difficulty with using only objective market evidence to answer that question is that the evidence usually points in both directions. — Rebecca Haw Allensworth, The Conversation, "Why Facebook antitrust case relies so heavily on Mark Zuckerberg’s emails," 18 Dec. 2020 Factual news can be proved or disproved by objective evidence, while opinion is an expression of the beliefs and values of the speaker. — Liv Grjebine, Scientific American, "Why Doubt Is Essential to Science," 9 Oct. 2020 The widespread introduction of body cameras provided more objective evidence of the shootings. — Zusha Elinson, WSJ, "Breonna Taylor Case Outcome Isn’t Unusual, Review of Police Shootings Shows," 24 Sep. 2020 If the employer has an objective basis for questioning the religious nature or sincerity of a particular belief, the employer may be justified in seeking additional supporting information. — Anchorage Daily News, "Can employers require their employees get a COVID-19 vaccination?," 22 Dec. 2020 Again, another objective analysis that places the current College Football Playoff top four teams in the top five. — Nathan Baird, cleveland, "Would Ohio State football still make the College Football Playoff based on computer rankings?," 18 Dec. 2020 Even when decision-makers try to be objective, their judgments are influenced by financial incentives. — Sunita Sah, Scientific American, "Conflicts of Interest and COVID," 3 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun All three athletes stressed that their objective is even-handedness in women’s sports. — Salena Zito, Washington Examiner, "These girls are hurt by transgender competition," 15 Feb. 2021 No credible evidence has been found to support such claims, but the researchers traveling to China this week said their objective is to follow the science. — NBC News, "WHO in Wuhan is probing Covid's origins as politics hangs over mission," 25 Jan. 2021 His objective will be to use his frame to protect the puck and open up space for Parise and Kaprizov while also being responsible defensively and breaking up plays by the opposition. — Sarah Mclellan, Star Tribune, "Nick Bjugstad comes home to Wild and returns to top line," 12 Jan. 2021 Brooks was among congressional leaders seeking to reject election results in several swing states with the objective of delivering Trump a second term. — Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al, "Mo Brooks facing censure resolution in House of Representatives," 11 Jan. 2021 On Tuesday, the Reverend Matthew Watley, senior pastor at Kingdom Fellowship A.M.E. Church, in Silver Spring, Maryland, moderated an online discussion on the issue with the objective of addressing concerns in his congregation and beyond. — Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, "African-American Resistance to the COVID-19 Vaccine Reflects a Broader Problem," 19 Dec. 2020 Pareja, however, is managing the push to finish at the top of the conference table with the long-term objective of fielding a healthy team in the playoffs. — Julia Poe, orlandosentinel.com, "Orlando City focuses on finishing, fitness during final regular season sprint," 28 Oct. 2020 Founded in 2015, Rotolo’s also operates as a nonprofit foundation with the main objective of elevating and supporting community members’ lives for various causes through funding, outreach and special events. — Alvaro Montano, Houston Chronicle, "Rotolo’s Craft & Crust pizzeria location set to open in Spring area in 2021," 19 Sep. 2020 After his 2020 football season is over, Romo will get back on the PGA Tour in 2021 with the objective of making the cut. — Calvin Watkins, Dallas News, "Tony Romo wants to play in AT&T Byron Nelson in 2021," 17 Sep. 2020

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.

History and Etymology for objective

Adjective

borrowed from Medieval Latin objectīvus "considered in relation to its purpose, relating to an object of thought," from objectum "something presented to the mind, goal, aim" + Latin -īvus -ive — more at object entry 1

Noun

in sense 1 probably short for objective point "goal of a military operation"; in sense 2 noun derivative of objective, adjective, "nearest the object (of the parts of a lens in a telescope, microscope, etc.)," probably borrowed from French (in verre objectif "lens nearest the object") — more at objective entry 1

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Dictionary Entries near objective

objective correlative

objective idealism

Statistics for objective

Last Updated

22 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Objective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/objective. Accessed 24 Feb. 2021.

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More Definitions for objective

objective

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of objective

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

English Language Learners Definition of objective (Entry 2 of 2)

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

See the full definition for objective in the English Language Learners Dictionary

objective

adjective

ob·jec·tive | \ əb-ˈjek-tiv

Kids Definition of objective

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

objective

noun

Kids Definition of objective (Entry 2 of 2)

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

objective

adjective

ob·jec·tive | \ əb-ˈjek-tiv, äb-

Medical Definition of objective

(Entry 1 of 2)

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