OBJECTIVE


Meaning of OBJECTIVE in English

I. əb-ˈjek-tiv, äb- adjective

Date: 1647

1.

a. : relating to or existing as an object of thought without consideration of independent existence — used chiefly in medieval philosophy

b. : of, relating to, or being an object, phenomenon, or condition in the realm of sensible experience independent of individual thought and perceptible by all observers : having reality independent of the mind

objective reality

our reveries…are significantly and repeatedly shaped by our transactions with the objective world — Marvin Reznikoff

— compare subjective 3a

c. of a symptom of disease : perceptible to persons other than the affected individual — compare subjective 4c

d. : involving or deriving from sense perception or experience with actual objects, conditions, or phenomena

objective awareness

objective data

2. : relating to, characteristic of, or constituting the case of words that follow prepositions or transitive verbs

3.

a. : expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations

objective art

an objective history of the war

an objective judgment

b. of a test : limited to choices of fixed alternatives and reducing subjective factors to a minimum

Synonyms: see material , fair

• ob·jec·tive·ly adverb

• ob·jec·tive·ness noun

• ob·jec·tiv·i·ty ˌäb-ˌjek-ˈti-və-tē, əb- noun

II. noun

Date: 1835

1. : a lens or system of lenses that forms an image of an object

2.

a. : something toward which effort is directed : an aim, goal, or end of action

b. : a strategic position to be attained or a purpose to be achieved by a military operation

Synonyms: see intention

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.