What does "subjective" mean?
The subjective case.
Subjective
/səbˈd͡ʒɛktɪv/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The subjective case.
- Grammar: subjective is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: abstract, adjective of attitude, anecdotal data source, anecdotal reasoning.
- Useful contrasts: objective, absolute improvement, aloof.
- Usage evidence: His writing is very subjective.
How to use "subjective"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "subjective" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "subjective" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "subjective" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "subjective" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "subjective" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abstract" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "subjective", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The subjective case.
- 2 A noun or pronoun in the subjective case.
Adjective
- 1 Formed, as in opinions, based upon a person's feelings or intuition, rather than upon observation or purely logical reasoning; coming more from within the observer than from observations of the external environment.
- 2 Pertaining to subjects as opposed to objects (A subject is one who perceives or is aware; an object is the thing perceived or the thing that the subject is aware of.)
- 3 Resulting from or pertaining to personal mindsets or experience, arising from perceptive mental conditions within the brain and not necessarily or directly from external stimuli.
"Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too.[…]But as a foundation for analysis it is highly subjective: it rests on difficult decisions about what counts as a territory, what counts as output and how to value it. Indeed, economists are still tweaking it."
- 4 Lacking in reality or substance.
- 5 As used by Carl Jung, the innate worldview orientation of the introverted personality types.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Experienced by a person mentally and not directly verifiable by others.
- 7 Describing conjugation of a verb that indicates only the subject (agent), not indicating the object (patient) of the action. (In linguistic descriptions of Tundra Nenets, among others.)
"The general finite stem is the verbal stem which serves as the basis of inflection in the indicative present and past in the subjective conjugation and the objective conjugation with the singular and dual object."
Adjective
- 1 of a mental act performed entirely within the mind wordnet
- 2 taking place within the mind and modified by individual bias wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"His writing is very subjective."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "subjective"?
Common synonyms include: abstract, adjective of attitude, anecdotal data source, anecdotal reasoning, arbitrary, artistic historiography.
How do you use "subjective" in a sentence?
His writing is very subjective.
How do you pronounce "subjective"?
Pronounced /səbˈd͡ʒɛktɪv/.
Etymology
From subject + -ive.