subjective
gb/səbd͡ʒˈɛktɪv/ us/səbd͡ʒˈɛktɪv/
B2
English
~ 10000
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
based on personal feelings or opinions
Based on what one person feels or thinks, not only on clear facts.
Usage pattern:
[judgment/assessment/experience] is subjective; subjective [opinion/judgment/experience]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "subjective" with "objective". Remember: "subjective" = based on a subject (a person’s mind or feelings); "objective" = based on the object (the thing itself, facts, and evidence). Some learners also think "subjective" always means "wrong"; in fact, it simply means opinion-based, not necessarily incorrect.
Synonyms
personal (Stresses that something belongs to one person’s views or tastes, without directly contrasting with facts.)
|
biased (Implies unfair or unbalanced subjectivity, with a stronger negative tone than "subjective".)
Antonyms
objective (Describes judgments based on observable facts and evidence rather than personal feelings.)
Collocations
subjective opinion
|subjective judgment
|highly subjective
|purely subjective
|entirely subjective
Themes
thinking
|communication
|culture
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Any review of a movie is subjective, because it depends on the viewer’s taste.
- He argued that beauty is subjective and changes from person to person.
- Performance ratings can be very subjective if the criteria are not clear.
- The jury had to move from a subjective reaction to an objective decision based on the law.
- Our sense of what counts as "good art" is deeply subjective.
Learner examples
- My view of the book is subjective.
- Taste in music is very subjective.
- The teacher said our grades are not subjective.
- They tried to remove subjective questions from the survey.
- She knows her choice is subjective, but it feels right to her.
adjective
C1
property
2
existing inside an individual mind
Describing something that happens inside one person’s mind or feelings, not outside in the world.
Usage pattern:
subjective [experience/feeling/perception/viewpoint]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use this sense when they only mean "personal opinion" (sense 1). In philosophy and psychology, "subjective" here points to inner experiences (like pain, fear, or consciousness), not just opinions about facts.
Synonyms
internal (Focuses on being inside a person; does not always carry the idea of "personal perspective" as strongly as "subjective".)
Antonyms
external (Highlights that something exists outside the mind, in the outer world, in contrast to inner, subjective experiences.)
Collocations
subjective experience
|subjective perception
|subjective reality
|subjective viewpoint
Themes
philosophy
|psychology
|science
|emotions
Examples
- Pain is a deeply subjective experience that can be hard to measure.
- The film explores the subjective reality of someone living with anxiety.
- Phenomenology studies the structure of subjective experience.
- Color is both a physical wavelength and a subjective perception in the brain.
- The book contrasts objective data with the patient’s subjective experience of illness.
Learner examples
- Each person has a different subjective experience of time.
- Dreams are part of our subjective world.
- Fear is a subjective feeling inside the mind.
- The report includes both facts and the writer’s subjective experience.
- Psychology often studies people’s subjective experiences.
adjective
technical
C1
property
3
relating to grammatical subject or case
In grammar, used to talk about the form of a noun or pronoun when it is the subject of a verb.
Usage pattern:
subjective [case/pronoun/form]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "subjective" here with the meaning "based on opinions". In grammar, "subjective" is only about the subject of a sentence and its case, not about opinions or feelings.
Synonyms
nominative (A technical grammar term that usually means the same thing as "subjective case" in English.)
Antonyms
objective (In grammar, refers to the case used for objects of verbs and prepositions, as opposed to the subjective case used for subjects.)
Collocations
subjective case
|subjective pronoun
|subjective form
Themes
language
|education
|communication
Examples
- In English, the subjective case includes pronouns like "I," "he," and "they."
- Teachers often explain that "who" is the subjective form and "whom" is the objective form.
- The chart shows the difference between subjective and objective pronouns.
- In some languages, the subjective case is clearly marked on the noun.
- Use the subjective pronoun "she" rather than the objective form "her" in this position.
Learner examples
- The word "I" is in the subjective case.
- We use subjective pronouns as the subject of a sentence.
- In this sentence, "they" is a subjective pronoun.
- The teacher talked about subjective and objective pronouns.
- Put the noun in the subjective form when it does the action.
unknown
technical
C2
property
4
reported by the person, not measured
In medical language, describing signs or problems that only the patient can feel and say, and the doctor cannot directly see or measure.
Usage pattern:
subjective [symptom/complaint/report]
Common mistake:
Learners may think "subjective" in medical texts simply means "not true" or "only in the patient’s head". In fact, it means the information comes from the patient’s report and cannot be directly measured, but it can still be very real and important.
Synonyms
self-reported (Highlights that the information comes from the person’s own report, without stressing the contrast with objective tests as strongly as "subjective" in medical use.)
Antonyms
objective (In medical contexts, refers to signs that can be observed or measured, such as temperature or blood pressure.)
Collocations
subjective symptoms
|subjective complaint
|subjective report
Themes
medicine
|health
|science
Examples
- The patient’s main subjective complaints were dizziness and nausea.
- Pain level is a subjective symptom and must be reported by the patient.
- The doctor recorded both subjective symptoms and objective findings in the chart.
- Fatigue is often a purely subjective experience with no clear laboratory marker.
- The study relied heavily on subjective reports of mood.
Learner examples
- Headache is a subjective symptom.
- The nurse wrote down the patient’s subjective pain level.
- Some problems are only subjective and cannot be seen.
- The doctor listens to subjective complaints and then does tests.
- Mood is a subjective feeling that the patient must describe.
Grammar
Dictionary form
subjective
IPA
GB/səbd͡ʒˈɛktɪv/
US/səbd͡ʒˈɛktɪv/
Syllables & stress
sub - ject - ive (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ject)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: subjective
Word family
Core family
subjectively
adverb
subjectivity
noun C1
Related words
subject
noun A2
Negative and opposite forms
Expressions
deeply subjective
1/dˈipli səbd͡ʒˈɛktɪv/
fixed phrase
strongly personal and inner
Very personal and coming from strong inner feelings or experience.
Examples
- Grief is a deeply subjective experience.
- Memory is deeply subjective and can change over time.
- Religious faith is often a deeply subjective matter.
entirely subjective
1/ɪntˈaɪɚli səbd͡ʒˈɛktɪv/
fixed phrase
completely based on personal views
Completely based on what one person feels or thinks, not on shared facts.
Examples
- The rating system is entirely subjective.
- My list of the best songs of the year is entirely subjective.
- Judging poetry is an entirely subjective process.
highly subjective
1/hˈaɪli səbd͡ʒˈɛktɪv/
fixed phrase
very dependent on personal views
Very strongly based on one person’s own feelings or ideas, not on clear facts.
Examples
- Art scores are often highly subjective and can vary from judge to judge.
- The ranking system is highly subjective, so try not to take it too seriously.
- He admitted that his choice of the winner was highly subjective.
purely subjective
1/pjˈʊɹli səbd͡ʒˈɛktɪv/
fixed phrase
only based on personal opinion
Based only on personal feelings or opinions, with no support from shared facts or clear rules.
Examples
- Taste in fashion is purely subjective.
- Their decision was purely subjective and not grounded in data.
- Whether that ending is satisfying is purely subjective.
subjective experience
1/səbd͡ʒˈɛktɪv ɪkspˈɪɹiəns/
fixed phrase
experience as felt by one person
An event or feeling as one person lives and feels it inside, not as an outside observer sees it.
Examples
- The book describes the subjective experience of chronic pain.
- There is no simple way to compare one person’s subjective experience of sadness with another’s.
- Psychology often tries to understand subjective experience, not just behavior.
subjective reality
1/səbd͡ʒˈɛktɪv ɹiˈæləti/
fixed phrase
a person’s private sense of reality
How the world looks and feels to one person inside their own mind, which may be different from outside facts.
Examples
- The film shows the subjective reality of someone with paranoia.
- Therapy helped him question his own subjective reality.
- Our memories shape our subjective reality over time.
subjective well-being
1/səbd͡ʒˈɛktɪv wˈɛl bˈiɪŋ/
fixed phrase
technical
self-reported happiness and life satisfaction
How happy and satisfied a person says they feel in their life, in their own opinion.
Examples
- The study focused on the subjective well-being of older adults.
- Income is only one factor that influences subjective well-being.
- Policies should be judged by their impact on citizens’ subjective well-being.