perspective

1 of 3

noun (1)

per·​spec·​tive pər-ˈspek-tiv How to pronounce perspective (audio)
1
a
: a mental view or prospect
to gain a broader perspective on the international sceneCurrent Biography
b
: a visible scene
especially : one giving a distinctive impression of distance : vista
2
a
: the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed
places the issues in proper perspective
also : point of view
b
: the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance
trying to maintain my perspective
3
: the appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions
4
a
: the technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye
specifically : representation in a drawing or painting of parallel lines as converging in order to give the illusion of depth and distance
b
: a picture in perspective
perspectival
pər-ˈspek-ti-vəl How to pronounce perspective (audio)
ˌpər-(ˌ)spek-ˈtī-vəl
adjective

perspective

2 of 3

adjective

1
: of, relating to, employing, or seen in perspective
perspective drawing
2
obsolete : aiding the vision
his eyes should be like unto the wrong end of a perspective glassAlexander Pope
perspectively adverb

perspective

3 of 3

noun (2)

archaic
: an optical glass (such as a telescope)

Did you know?

To the modern mind, it's hard to believe that perspective had to be "discovered", but before the 1400s paintings simply lacked accurate perspective. Instead, important people and objects were simply shown larger than less important ones; and although distant objects were sometimes shown smaller than near ones, this wasn't done in a regular and accurate way. Just as odd, many paintings didn't represent the other meaning of perspective either—that is, a scene might not be shown as if it were being seen from one single place. Today, perspective is used much like standpoint. Just as standpoint once used to mean simply the physical place where you stand but today also means the way you "see" things as a result of who you are and what you do, the same could be said about perspective.

Examples of perspective in a Sentence

Noun (1) The elegant economy of the drawing and the wild inventiveness of such pictorial devices as the towering pitcher's mound and the impossible perspective of Snoopy's doghouse keep the repetitiveness, talkiness, and melancholy of the strip a few buoyant inches off the ground, and save it from being fey. John Updike, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2007
Courses offer an international perspective, so even a lesson on the American Revolution will interweave sources from Britain and France with views from the Founding Fathers. Claudia Wallis et al., Time, 18 Dec. 2006
Tipper and I still marvel at everything we saw and the perspective it offered. At a moment when the country was still in the throes of the conflict over Vietnam, it was refreshing to see the best of America. Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
These fresh names usher in both novelty and a change of perspective. José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2023 From a user’s perspective, everything else about these is identical to last year’s model. Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 18 Sep. 2023 And from Iran’s perspective, efforts to forge a new pact with a US administration that could potentially be ousted in those elections would be futile if the next president abandons it. Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023 One’s life experiences determine perspective, which means that any portrait, painting, sculpture, and the like, can be open to interpretation depending on who is standing in front of it. Okla Jones, Essence, 17 Sep. 2023 The website also ranked states purely from a safety perspective, with Virginia, South Carolina, New Jersey, Maryland, and Idaho rounding the top five. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2023 From our perspective down here, on the surface of our planet, the stars are tiny, gleaming specks in an inky-dark universe. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2023 From Beijing’s perspective, Japan’s move on the islands appeared to be designed to exploit this instability in the highest levels of the leadership, which warranted a tough reaction. M. Taylor Fravel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Sep. 2023 This book has too little plot — or plenty of it, depending on your perspective. Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Adjective
Introducing Dahmer, meanwhile, starts without sound, then gradually adds Dahmer’s voice, a perspective switch intended to invoke dread. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2023 While there has to be perspective about social-media posts regarding offseason workouts, the mere fact that they have been placed on Kyle’s timelines speaks volumes. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2022 In May 2020, Prather and her coauthors published a perspective article in the journal Science, explaining the airborne spread of Covid-19. Brenda Goodman, CNN, 12 May 2023 This causes a perspective shift that appears to reduce excessive rumination and self-focus, which may allow people to escape unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors. ELLE, 13 Apr. 2023 So the perspective candidates are for people [00:14:00] who want to run for the state legislature, and two who want to run for the Ohio democratic party central committee. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 3 June 2022 Of all 16 perspective host cities, only Seattle can offer outdoor average highs as low as the 70s in July. Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2021 The findings from Arnqvist and his team, Wyber notes, also help put the female’s perspective center stage—something widely lacking in research on animal mating. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 6 July 2021 This is no perspective effect; that comet really was just above the Sun's surface, and most likely impacted the Sun or disintegrated from the heat. Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 7 July 2011 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perspective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle French, probably modification of Old Italian prospettiva, from prospetto view, prospect, from Latin prospectus — more at prospect

Adjective

Middle English, optical, from Medieval Latin perspectivus

Noun (2)

Middle English perspectyf, from Medieval Latin perspectivum, from neuter of perspectivus of sight, optical, from Latin perspectus, past participle of perspicere to look through, see clearly, from per- through + specere to look — more at per-, spy

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

Adjective

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near perspective

Cite this Entry

“Perspective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perspective. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

perspective

1 of 2 noun
per·​spec·​tive pər-ˈspek-tiv How to pronounce perspective (audio)
1
: the art or technique of painting or drawing a scene so that objects in it seem to have depth and distance
2
a
: the relationship in which a subject or its parts are viewed mentally
places the issues in perspective
b
: point of view
from a conservative perspective
3
: the power to understand things in their true relationship to each other
try to keep your perspective and not get flustered
4
: the appearance to the eye of objects in space with respect to their distance and positions in relation to each other

perspective

2 of 2 adjective
: of, relating to, or seen in perspective

More from Merriam-Webster on perspective

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