objective

[ uhb-jek-tiv ]

/ əbˈdʒɛk tɪv /

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See synonyms for: objective / objectives / objectively / objectiveness on Thesaurus.com

noun

something that one's efforts or actions are intended to attain or accomplish; purpose; goal; target: the objective of a military attack;the objective of a fund-raising drive.

Grammar.

Also called ob·jec·tive case [uhb-jek-tiv keys] /əbˈdʒɛk tɪv ˈkeɪs/ . (in English and some other languages) a case specialized for the use of a form as the object of a transitive verb or of a preposition, as him in The boy hit him, or me in He comes to me with his troubles.
a word in that case.

Also called object glass, object lens, ob·jec·tive lens

[uhb-jek-tiv lenz] /əbˈdʒɛk tɪv ˈlɛnz/ .Optics. (in a telescope, microscope, camera, or other optical system) the lens or combination of lenses that first receives the rays from the object and forms the image in the focal plane of the eyepiece, as in a microscope, or on a plate or screen, as in a camera.

adjective

being the object or goal of one's efforts or actions.

not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased: an objective opinion.

intent upon or dealing with things external to the mind rather than with thoughts or feelings, as a person or a book.

being the object of perception or thought; belonging to the object of thought rather than to the thinking subject (opposed to subjective).

of or relating to something that can be known, or to something that is an object or a part of an object; existing independent of thought or an observer as part of reality.

Grammar.

pertaining to the use of a form as the object of a transitive verb or of a preposition.
(in English and some other languages) noting the objective case.
similar to such a case in meaning.
(in case grammar) pertaining to the semantic role of a noun phrase that denotes something undergoing a change of state or bearing a neutral relation to the verb, as the rock in The rock moved or in The child threw the rock.

being part of or pertaining to an object to be drawn: an objective plane.

Medicine/Medical. (of a symptom) discernible to others as well as the patient.

OTHER WORDS FOR objective

1 object, destination, aim.

5 impartial, fair, impersonal, disinterested.

See synonyms for objective on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR objective

5 personal.

See antonyms for objective on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of objective

First recorded in 1610–20; from Medieval Latin objectīvus, equivalent to Latin object(us) (see object) + -īvus adjective suffix (see -ive)

OTHER WORDS FROM objective

ob·jec·tive·ly, adverbob·jec·tive·ness, nounpre·ob·jec·tive, adjectivequa·si-ob·jec·tive, adjective

sem·i·ob·jec·tive, adjectivesem·i·ob·jec·tive·ness, nounun·ob·jec·tive, adjective

Words nearby objective

object glass, objectification, objectify, objection, objectionable, objective, objective case, objective complement, objective correlative, objective danger, objective genitive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use objective in a sentence

Startup leaders and investors were influenced by these societal movements as much as by new research helping them understand how ESG can help advance business objectives in venture capital.
European VC funds are building community around ESG initiatives|Richard Dal Porto|February 11, 2021|TechCrunch
One of the UAE’s biggest objectives through the Emirates Mars Mission has been to spur a young generation of scientists and engineers to get into space systems development in order to help the UAE enter the space economy.
The UAE’s Hope probe is about to arrive at Mars in a historic first|Neel Patel|February 9, 2021|MIT Technology Review
That’s right, not all content should be created with the objective of getting more conversions or even more traffic to your site.
Taking your SEO content beyond the acquisition|Mordy Oberstein|February 2, 2021|Search Engine Watch
The first was “where is the jar,” or an objective assessment based on the listener’s understanding.
This Is Where Empathy Lives in the Brain, and How It Works|Shelly Fan|February 2, 2021|Singularity Hub

I suspect your objective, however, is to fix and flame your relationship.
Is the Sex Solution Worse Than the Sex Problem?|Eugene Robinson|February 2, 2021|Ozy
All other issues—racial, feminine, even environmental—need to fit around this central objective.
Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats|Joel Kotkin|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Koenig has not been a sterile, objective narrator; she has openly voiced her biases, concerns, and gut feelings all along.
Adnan Killed Her! No, Jay Did It! Serial’s Uncertain, True-to-Reality End|Emily Shire|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Certainly that was the objective of the attack: The school is a private one run by the army for the children of soldiers.
Taliban: We Slaughtered 100+ Kids Because Their Parents Helped America|Sami Yousafzai|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Meeting an additional objective standard is necessary: can the vehicle safely transport you from one place to another?
The Birth of the Novel|Nick Romeo|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Carles told me that MormonThink strives to be objective and impartial.
God vs. the Internet. And the Winner is…|Michael Schulson|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The two-thirds objective should be used as a finder, while the one-sixth is reserved for examining details.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
They are easily seen with the one-sixth objective in the routine microscopic examination.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Search with a one-twelfth-inch objective, using very subdued light.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The embryos will collect in the water, and can be easily found with a two-thirds objective.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Once his one-track mind got to functioning on a certain objective it seldom digressed.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various

British Dictionary definitions for objective

objective

/ (əbˈdʒɛktɪv) /

adjective

existing independently of perception or an individual's conceptionsare there objective moral values?

undistorted by emotion or personal bias

of or relating to actual and external phenomena as opposed to thoughts, feelings, etc

med (of disease symptoms) perceptible to persons other than the individual affected

grammar denoting a case of nouns and pronouns, esp in languages having only two cases, that is used to identify the direct object of a finite verb or preposition and for various other purposes. In English the objective case of pronouns is also used in many elliptical constructions (as in Poor me! Who, him?), as the subject of a gerund (as in It was me helping him), informally as a predicate complement (as in It's me), and in nonstandard use as part of a compound subject (as in John, Larry, and me went fishing)See also accusative

of, or relating to a goal or aim

noun

the object of one's endeavours; goal; aim

Also called: objective point military a place or position towards which forces are directed

an actual phenomenon; reality

grammar

the objective case
a word or speech element in the objective case

Also called: object glass optics

the lens or combination of lenses nearest to the object in an optical instrument
the lens or combination of lenses forming the image in a camera or projector

Abbreviation: objCompare: subjective

Derived forms of objective

objectival (ˌɒbdʒɛkˈtaɪvəl), adjectiveobjectively, adverbobjectivity or rare objectiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for objective

objective

[ əb-jĕk′tĭv ]

The lens or mirror in a microscope or other optical instrument that first receives light rays from the object and forms the image.

objective

OTHER WORDS FOR objective

OPPOSITES FOR objective

Origin of objective

OTHER WORDS FROM objective

Words nearby objective

Words related to objective

How to use objective in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for objective

Derived forms of objective

Scientific definitions for objective