as in purpose
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
the summer camp's stated objective is to produce tournament-level tennis players
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in empirical
based on observation or experience
an objective assessment based solely upon the results of the experiment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impartial
marked by justice, honesty, and freedom from bias
the judge removed herself from the case because she doubted her ability to remain objective, given her friendship with one of the attorneys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in historical
restricted to or based on fact
the paper's news stories strive to be scrupulously objective, with opinions clearly labeled as commentary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in neutrality
lack of favoritism toward one side or another
the teacher's objectivity would be seriously compromised if his own child were placed in the class
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of objective
Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
The objective is to figure out where to place three butterfly traps for the night.
—Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Nov. 2025
Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
The expedition was a disaster by every objective standard, but Nweeia’s conversation with the hunter stuck with him.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Vauhini Vara, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2025
The new online encyclopedia, which suffered technical difficulties upon launch, uses xAI’s Grok large language model to pull information and supposedly prioritize objectivity.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for objective
Noun
The 2006 Shanghai pension fund scandal also showed how political objectives can compromise the responsible management of public money.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
The objective is to figure out where to place three butterfly traps for the night.
—Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
No decline in beta amyloid The study was small — only 296 people between the ages of 50 and 90 — but researchers used objective measures, which improved the reliability of the 14-year study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
The expedition was a disaster by every objective standard, but Nweeia’s conversation with the hunter stuck with him.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
On a deeper level, being nonsentient, ChatGPT doesn’t care about objectivity (or anything else).
—Vauhini Vara, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2025
The new online encyclopedia, which suffered technical difficulties upon launch, uses xAI’s Grok large language model to pull information and supposedly prioritize objectivity.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for objective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for objective
Adjective
-
Assorted arguments, testimony and empirical evidence regarding Title IX haven’t been scrutinized and arguably fall outside the scope of the litigation.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
5 Jan. 2026
-
As my colleague Rogé Karma explained last year, however, essentially the entire weight of empirical economic evidence suggests that this theory has never been true in practice.—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This is essential to ensure the impartial, neutral, and independent delivery of aid throughout the whole of Gaza.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Defense attorney Leah Gillis countered that sequestering jurors would chill candid discussion and signal that open conversations about bias are not tolerated, undermining the goal of an impartial jury.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
One film has dominated much of the season and shattered records, while the other carries an undercurrent of passion and historical weight that could resonate on a preferential Oscar ballot.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Others have expressed concern about nationalist rhetoric and disputes over historical memory, particularly regarding Hungary’s role in the Holocaust.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Campos and her colleagues stress that their role is strictly observational — never to interfere.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Because of this alignment, Regulus has played an important role in both observational astronomy and ancient sky calendars.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Leo’s homily called for peace and equitable redistribution of resources, signaling his pontificate can now advance his own agenda after months consumed by the celebration.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
According to Instagram posts from Brown's consulting company, Roundtree's priorities include equitable economic development, parks, investing in youth, and a justice system focused on prevention and rehabilitation.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But under questioning from Cruz, Vladeck conceded that approving a nondisclosure order without any factual proffer would be inconsistent with a judge’s oath, if that hypothetical were true.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The producer is Angie Daniell, the casting director is Jenny Duffy, the factual producer is Louise Kentleton and director of production is Lianne Hickey.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The show is equal parts investigation into the craft of writing and conversation about the topics of an author’s work.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
An erg is a unit of energy equal to 10−7 joules (100 nJ).—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s a lot of almost documentary material in it as well.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The race for the documentary feature Academy Award spotlights quality filmmaking, but also requires a whole lot of money and the support of international doc branch voters.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Objective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/objective. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share