[ob.jec.tive] adj (1620) 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 "~ reality" "our reveries ... are significantly and repeatedly shaped by our transactions with the ~ 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 "~ awareness" "~ 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 "~ art" "an ~ history of the war" "an ~ judgment" b of a test: limited to choices of fixed alternatives and reducing subjective factors to a minimum syn see material, fair -- ob.jec.tive.ly adv -- ob.jec.tive.ness n -- ob.jec.tiv.i.ty n
[2]objective n (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 syn see intention