subjective

sub·jec·tive | \ (ˌ)səb-ˈjek-tiv

Definition of subjective

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

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

b : being or relating to a grammatical subject especially : nominative

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

3a : characteristic of or belonging to reality as perceived rather than as independent of mind : phenomenal — compare objective sense 2a

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

4a(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

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

c : 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

5 : lacking in reality or substance : illusory

subjective

noun

sub·jec·tive | \ (ˌ)səb-ˈjek-tiv

Definition of subjective (Entry 2 of 2)

: something that is subjective also : nominative

Other Words from subjective Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about subjective

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Examples of subjective in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Judging laptop keyboards is subjective, as everyone’s fingers and typing styles are different. — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "Dell XPS 13 vs. Dell XPS 15: Which should you buy?," 13 Nov. 2019 But the ratings are subjective — varying by state and the interpretations of individual inspectors — and are not always publicly disclosed. — BostonGlobe.com, "‘‘He had about a 5-minute notice, with no prior warning the day before,’’ Scott Angel, one of Kenny’s brothers, said.," 10 Nov. 2019 Whether that is impressive or naive is, again, subjective. — SI.com, "7 Things We Learned From a ControVARsial Weekend in the Premier League," 21 Oct. 2019 What tastes good is subjective, but no one can argue that buffets mean lots of food for very little money. — Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, "Life’s a buffet. Wear stretch pants. | Review," 2 Oct. 2019 Louisville’s Jawon Pass ranks 128th out of 130 FBS programs in the subjective ratings, while New Mexico’s Tevaka Tuioti is 125th. — Mike Berardino, Indianapolis Star, "Notre Dame great Todd Lyght pays it forward with new generation of cornerbacks," 1 Sep. 2019 Their heart rates and power outputs were significantly higher during the session with songs than without, even though their subjective rating of the difficulty of the exercise remained constant. — Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, "How Music Can Rev Up a High-Intensity Workout," 10 July 2019 Those investigations would rightly be based on concrete legal standards, not wholly subjective measures of offensiveness. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Apple crushed Alex Jones — then tossed him a lifeline," 8 Aug. 2018 Understanding entropy as a subjective measure allows the universe as a whole to evolve without ever losing information. — Quanta Magazine, "The Quantum Thermodynamics Revolution," 2 May 2017

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

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Dictionary Entries near subjective

subjective complement

subjective idealism

subjective theory

Statistics for subjective

Last Updated

25 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Subjective.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subjectiveness. Accessed 5 December 2019.

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More Definitions for subjective

subjective

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of subjective

philosophy : relating to the way a person experiences things in his or her own mind

: based on feelings or opinions rather than facts

grammar : relating to nouns, noun phrases, or pronouns that are the subjects of verbs

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

subjective

adjective

sub·jec·tive | \ səb-ˈjek-tiv

Kids Definition of subjective

: based mainly on opinions or feelings rather than on facts a subjective report

subjective

adjective

sub·jec·tive | \ (ˌ)səb-ˈjek-tiv

Medical Definition of subjective

1a : relating to or determined by the mind as the subject of experience subjective reality

b : characteristic of or belonging to reality as perceived rather than as independent of mind

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

2a : arising from conditions within the brain or sense organs and not directly caused by external stimuli subjective sensations

b : arising out of or identified by means of one's perception of one's own states and processes and not observable by an examiner a subjective symptom of disease caused objective or subjective clinical improvement or both — Journal of the American Medical Association — compare objective sense 2

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