objective — English Dictionary

Adjective

1. Of or relating to a material object, actual existence or reality.

2. Not influenced by the strong emotions or prejudices.

   Synonyms

   disinterestedunbiased

3. Based on observed facts; without purely subjective assessment.

4. Mind-independent

   Synonyms

   factualjust

   Examples

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   Engagement of employees in the Public Administration and in the wider Public Sector, ..., shall take place either by competitive entry examination or by selection on the basis of predefined and objective criteria, and shall be subject to the control of an independent authority, as specified by law.

   The value of pedagogical material informed by objective methodological procedures developed in corpus linguistics is widely recognized.

5. Of, or relating to a noun or pronoun used as the object of a verb.

   Examples

   The objective complement in "She makes us angry" is the adjective "angry".

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   Let us now glance at the demonstrative and relative pronouns. Of the former there are but two in English, this and that, with their plural forms, these and those. To them, American adds a third, them, which is also the personal pronoun of the third person, objective case.

6. Of, or relating to verbal conjugation that indicates the object (patient) of an action. (In linguistic descriptions of Tundra Nenets, among others.)

   Examples

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   The general finite stem is the verbal stem which serves as the basis of inflection in the indicative present and past in the subjective conjugation and the objective conjugation with the singular and dual object.

Noun

1. A material object that physically exists.

2. A goal that is striven for.

   Examples

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   His [Henry Sweet's] true objective was the provision of a full, accurate, legible script for our noble but ill-dressed language; but he was led past that by his contempt for the popular Pitman system of Shorthand, which he called the Pitfall system.

   In 1903, I had adventured, for the first time, northwards, and it really was the North, as my objective was the Great North of Scotland Railway.

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   The Group has recently concentrated on two main objectives, the implementation of a Code of Practice on minor station improvements and the preparation of a stock list of approved items of equipment for railway stations.

   Objectives are the stepping stones which guide you to achieving your goals. They must be verifiable in some way, whether thatʼs statistically – ‘the more I do this, the better I get at itʼ – or by some other achievable concept such as getting the job or relationship that you want. Itʼs crucial that your objectives lead you logically towards your goal and are quantifiable.

   The new imperative for investment is the Government's objective to secure carbon-neutral transport emissions by 2040.

3. The objective case.

   Synonyms

   object caseobjective case

4. a noun or pronoun in the objective case.

5. The lens or lenses of a camera, microscope, or other optical device closest to the object being examined.

   Synonyms

   objective lens

Adjective

1. undistorted by emotion or personal bias; based on observable phenomena

   Synonyms

   nonsubjective

   Antonyms

   subjective

   Examples

   an objective appraisal

   objective evidence

2. serving as or indicating the object of a verb or of certain prepositions and used for certain other purposes

   Synonyms

   accusative

   Examples

   objective case

   accusative endings

3. emphasizing or expressing things as perceived without distortion of personal feelings or interpretation

   Examples

   objective art

4. belonging to immediate experience of actual things or events

   Examples

   objective benefits

   an objective example

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   there is no objective evidence of anything of the kind

Noun

1. the goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable)

   Synonyms

   aimobjecttarget

   Broader terms

   goalend

   Examples

   the sole object of her trip was to see her children

2. the lens or system of lenses in a telescope or microscope that is nearest the object being viewed

   Synonyms

   objective lensobject lensobject glass

   Broader terms

   lenslenselens system