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View synonyms for objective

objective

[ uhb-jek-tiv ]

noun

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

    the objective of a military attack;

    the objective of a fund-raising drive.

    Synonyms: aim, destination, object

  2. Grammar.
    1. Also called ob·jec·tive case [uh, b-, jek, -tiv , keys]. (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.
    2. a word in that case.
  3. Also called object glass, object lens,. 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

  1. being the object or goal of one's efforts or actions.
  2. not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased:

    an objective opinion.

    Synonyms: disinterested, impersonal, fair, impartial

    Antonyms: personal

  3. intent upon or dealing with things external to the mind rather than with thoughts or feelings, as a person or a book.
  4. being the object of perception or thought; belonging to the object of thought rather than to the thinking subject ( subjective ).
  5. 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.
  6. Grammar.
    1. pertaining to the use of a form as the object of a transitive verb or of a preposition.
    2. (in English and some other languages) noting the objective case.
    3. similar to such a case in meaning.
    4. (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.
  7. being part of or pertaining to an object to be drawn:

    an objective plane.

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

objective

/ əbˈdʒɛktɪv; ˌɒbdʒɛkˈtaɪvəl /

adjective

  1. existing independently of perception or an individual's conceptions

    are there objective moral values?

  2. undistorted by emotion or personal bias
  3. of or relating to actual and external phenomena as opposed to thoughts, feelings, etc
  4. med (of disease symptoms) perceptible to persons other than the individual affected
  5. 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
  6. of, or relating to a goal or aim


noun

  1. the object of one's endeavours; goal; aim
  2. Also calledobjective point military a place or position towards which forces are directed
  3. an actual phenomenon; reality
  4. grammar
    1. the objective case
    2. a word or speech element in the objective case
  5. Also calledobject glass optics
    1. the lens or combination of lenses nearest to the object in an optical instrument
    2. the lens or combination of lenses forming the image in a camera or projector

objective

/ əb-jĕktĭv /

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


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Derived Forms

  • objectival, adjective
  • obˈjectively, adverb
  • ˌobjecˈtivity, noun

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Other Words From

  • ob·jec·tive·ly adverb
  • ob·jec·tive·ness noun
  • pre·ob·jec·tive adjective
  • qua·si-ob·jec·tive adjective
  • sem·i·ob·jec·tive adjective
  • sem·i·ob·jec·tive·ness noun
  • un·ob·jec·tive adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of objective1

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

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Example Sentences

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.

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.

That’s right, not all content should be created with the objective of getting more conversions or even more traffic to your site.

The first was “where is the jar,” or an objective assessment based on the listener’s understanding.

I suspect your objective, however, is to fix and flame your relationship.

From Ozy

All other issues—racial, feminine, even environmental—need to fit around this central objective.

Koenig has not been a sterile, objective narrator; she has openly voiced her biases, concerns, and gut feelings all along.

Certainly that was the objective of the attack: The school is a private one run by the army for the children of soldiers.

Meeting an additional objective standard is necessary: can the vehicle safely transport you from one place to another?

Carles told me that MormonThink strives to be objective and impartial.

The two-thirds objective should be used as a finder, while the one-sixth is reserved for examining details.

They are easily seen with the one-sixth objective in the routine microscopic examination.

Search with a one-twelfth-inch objective, using very subdued light.

The embryos will collect in the water, and can be easily found with a two-thirds objective.

Once his one-track mind got to functioning on a certain objective it seldom digressed.

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objectionableobjective case