Has someone ever asked for your objective opinion? Or said that something is 鈥渆ntirely subjective鈥�? The words subjective and objective are used in all kinds of contexts, from journalism to science to grammar, and they鈥檙e often discussed as opposites. But what do they actually mean?
In most cases, it comes down to whether something is based on personal experience or on verifiable facts. But it can get confusing. An opinion or viewpoint can be said to be objective or subjective, depending on how it was formed. We鈥檙e here to clear all of that up by explaining what each word means and how each should be used.
鈿★笍Quick summary
Subjective most commonly means based on the personal perspective or preferences of a person鈥攖he subject who鈥檚 observing something. In contrast, objective most commonly means not influenced by or based on a personal viewpoint鈥攂ased on the analysis of an object of observation only.
黑料网 does subjective mean?
Generally speaking, subjective is used to describe something that exists in the mind of a person or that pertains to viewpoints of an individual person.
Sometimes, subjective means about the same thing as personal. Everyone鈥檚 experience of an event is subjective, because each person鈥檚 circumstances and background are unique, leading to different interpretations.
Subjective observation is centered on a person鈥檚 own mind and perspectives, as opposed to being general, universal, or scientific. In this way, describing an observation as subjective often implies that it comes with (or is based on) personal biases.
In philosophy, subjective specifically means relating to an object as it exists in the mind, as opposed to the thing as it exists in reality (the thing in itself). All perception relies on your mind, so your perception of a thing is ultimately subjective.
黑料网 does objective mean?
In most of its common uses, objective is contrasted with subjective, often as if it鈥檚 the opposite. Objective most commonly means not influenced by an individual鈥檚 personal viewpoint鈥�unbiased (or at least attempting to be unbiased). It鈥檚 often used to describe things like observations, decisions, or reports that are based on an unbiased analysis.
Something that鈥檚 truly objective has nothing to do with a person鈥檚 own feelings or views鈥攊t just deals with facts. When someone says 鈥淥bjectively speaking,鈥� they鈥檙e indicating that they鈥檙e going to give an unbiased assessment鈥攏ot one based on their personal preferences.
Journalists are trained to be as objective as possible when reporting鈥攖o leave their opinions out of it and just record and present the facts. This is called objectivity.
黑料网 else does objective mean?
In grammar, the word objective is applied to words that function as objects鈥攖he recipients of actions. In the sentence The dog ate my homework, the word homework is in the objective case (meaning that it鈥檚 the object鈥攖he recipient鈥攐f the action). The word subjective, on the other hand, is applied to a word that鈥檚 the subject of the sentence (in the given example, the dog is the subject鈥攖he one performing the action).
Objective is also commonly used as a noun meaning a goal or a target, as in The objective of this article is to teach you about the difference between objective and subjective.
Examples of subjective vs. objective
Let鈥檚 think about some scenarios in which something might be classified as subjective or objective.
Let鈥檚 say you鈥檙e a restaurant critic. There may be certain foods that you subjectively dislike鈥攐nes that are just not to your taste. But when critiquing dishes, you must leave your subjective tastes aside and be objective about what you eat鈥攎aking objective judgments about things like how it鈥檚 cooked and seasoned and how the ingredients work together. Even if you鈥檙e served a dish that you subjectively don鈥檛 like, it鈥檚 your job to objectively assess its quality.
In a scientific experiment, your hypothesis might be based鈥攁t least in part鈥攐n your subjective opinion about what the results will be. But science is about being completely objective by gathering data and making conclusions based on the data.
In everyday life, your objective opinion is the one that sets aside your subjective preferences or feelings about something and instead assesses it based on facts and reality.
How to use subjective vs. objective
Use subjective when you鈥檙e talking about an opinion or feeling that is based on an individual鈥檚 perspective or preferences.
Use objective when you鈥檙e talking about something鈥攍ike an assessment, decision, or report鈥攖hat鈥檚 unbiased and based solely on the observable or verifiable facts.
Examples of subjective and objective used in a sentence
- All art is subjective鈥攅veryone has their own personal interpretation.
- We want to record your subjective views on the topic, so just be honest.
- You can always count on her for an objective opinion, no matter what her personal feelings are.
- Although my objective assessment is that the book is poorly written, I can鈥檛 help but love its enemies-to-friends plotline.
- The first part of the assignment is an objective analysis of the data; the second part is an essay on your subjective reaction to it.
