subjective

1 of 2

adjective

sub·jec·tive (ˌ)səb-ˈjek-tiv

Synonyms of subjective next

: of, relating to, or constituting a subject: such as

obsolete : of, relating to, or characteristic of one that is a subject especially in lack of freedom of action or in submissiveness

: being or relating to a grammatical subject

especially : nominative

: of or relating to the essential being of that which has substance, qualities, attributes, or relations

: characteristic of or belonging to reality as perceived rather than as independent of mind : phenomenal compare objective sense 2a

: relating to or being experience or knowledge as conditioned by personal mental characteristics or states

a(1)

: peculiar to a particular individual : personal

subjective judgments

(2)

: modified or affected by personal views, experience, or background

a subjective account of the incident

: arising from conditions within the brain or sense organs and not directly caused by external stimuli

subjective sensations

: arising out of or identified by means of one's perception of one's own states and processes

a subjective symptom of disease

compare objective sense 2c

: lacking in reality or substance : illusory

subjectively adverb

subjectiveness noun

subjective

2 of 2

noun

sub·jec·tive (ˌ)səb-ˈjek-tiv

: something that is subjective

also : nominative

Example Sentences

Adjective Art is never a commodity. Commodities are identical units of sure value—bushels of wheat, say—whose price fluctuates from time to time and place to place. Art works are one-of-a-kind … items, materially worthless, which have in common that a price is asked for them. Their value is entirely subjective. —

Peter Schjedlahl, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2009

Our perception of loudness is subjective, but sound has an intensity, independent of our hearing, that is measured in decibels (dB). —

Jennifer Barone, Discover, July/August 2009

Science is the study of facts—things that are measurable, testable, repeatable, verifiable. I won't bore you with the inevitable discussion of objective reality and how it's ultimately unknowable because we filter it through our individual subjective realities, I'll cut directly to the chase. Science is about the stuff we can agree on. Rocks are hard, water is wet. —

David Gerrold, Fantasy & Science Fiction, September 2005

Besides, I am not doing this for the anthropology. My aim is nothing so mistily subjective as to "experience poverty" or find out how it "really feels" to be a long-term low-wage worker. —

Barbara Ehrenreich, Harper's, January 1999

Dreaming is a subjective experience. a person's subjective perception of the world Personal taste in clothing is very subjective. In reviewing applicants, we consider both objective criteria, such as test scores, and subjective criteria, such as leadership ability. Law can be maddeningly subjective. So much is left up to your own interpretation. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But that other 5 percent, the black magic of ride and handling, interior quality, brake feel—the more subjective stuff—is what defines great cars. —

Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 17 May 2023 Advertisement Their findings prompted criticism from research psychologists who regarded the authors’ methodology as lacking and their interviews with hospital patients, however thorough, as overly subjective. —

Emily Langer, Washington Post, 11 May 2023 Severe reactions, called anaphylaxis, can result in fatal respiratory problems.3 Meanwhile, food sensitivity typically affects the gastrointestinal system and is often subjective. —

Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 9 May 2023 Misogyny, the oldest hatred of them all, plays cat and mouse with this illusion from one generation to the next, to the extent that the experience of misogyny, both private and public, could be said almost to have become a subjective state. —

Rachel Cusk, New York Times, 2 May 2023 Here's our unapologetically subjective look back at our favorite sets. —

Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2023 Determining the reliability and credibility of a sighting is highly subjective, after all. —

Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2023 However, Meghan's attorney defended her client's comments as subjective accounts of her upbringing. —

Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2023 The filmmakers find ways to shift between Yas’ and Dom’s subjective feelings and the broader perspectives of their friends and family, who see more of their flaws and bad habits. —

Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2023

Noun

Given that any critic’s views are by their very nature subjective, the lists that follow don’t claim to be definitive or even directive. —

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Dec. 2022 Often called the Banksys of financial fudging and the van Goghs of offshoring pre-tax income to foreign countries, these middle-aged white men will nurture your flair for the subjective. —

Meghana Indurti, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2022 If the subjective is no longer available as a method of entry, the critic must find alternative admission. —

SPIN, 8 Feb. 2022 The zaniness goes beyond the subjective: There are historical data points that show just how anomalous these playoffs have been. —

Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 31 Jan. 2022 Though famed as a regional pictorialist, her writing seems remarkably modern in its incorporation of the subjective and eroticism into narratives. —

John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Sep. 2021 But Ryan Germany, the general counsel in Raffensperger's office, said if the state doesn't switch from a subjective to an objective way of verifying absentee ballots, election officials could become targets, as some were after November. —

Quinn Scanlan, ABC News, 20 Feb. 2021 See More

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