subjective
based on personal feelings or opinions
Based on what one person feels or thinks, not only on clear facts.
[judgment/assessment/experience] is subjective; subjective [opinion/judgment/experience]
- 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.
- 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.
existing inside an individual mind
Describing something that happens inside one person’s mind or feelings, not outside in the world.
subjective [experience/feeling/perception/viewpoint]
- 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.
- 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.
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.
subjective [case/pronoun/form]
- 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.
- 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.
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.
subjective [symptom/complaint/report]
- 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.
- 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.
- Base: subjective
deeply subjective
1strongly personal and inner
Very personal and coming from strong inner feelings or experience.
- 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
1completely based on personal views
Completely based on what one person feels or thinks, not on shared facts.
- 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
1very dependent on personal views
Very strongly based on one person’s own feelings or ideas, not on clear facts.
- 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
1only based on personal opinion
Based only on personal feelings or opinions, with no support from shared facts or clear rules.
- 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
1experience as felt by one person
An event or feeling as one person lives and feels it inside, not as an outside observer sees it.
- 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
1a 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.
- 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
1self-reported happiness and life satisfaction
How happy and satisfied a person says they feel in their life, in their own opinion.
- 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.