Subjective vs. objective! There are many words in the English language that sound very similar but have completely opposite meanings. One of the examples is the subjective vs. objective pair: with only a couple of letters different, these two words are actually antonyms. Still, many people say that something is subjective while they mean that it’s objective, thus causing a lot of confusion.
Subjective vs. Objective
So, which word is which? SUBJECTIVE information is anything that is based on personal opinion, judgment, feelings, or point of view. On the other hand, OBJECTIVE information is factual and based on observations and measurements. In contrast with subjective information, everything that is objective can be put to the test and proved.
Examples:
- This is a subjective judgement of her abilities.
- We know that taste in art is a subjective matter.
- We should make an objective appraisal of his job.
- An objective test can be quite comprehensive.
When to Use Subjective vs. Objective
You can say that Paris is the capital of France. This is an objective fact because this is general knowledge. No matter how much you argue with this, it will still be the truth, and you’ll find proof in any geography book you open.
But what if you say that Paris is a beautiful city? This is exclusively your opinion; there are people who’ll agree with you, and there are those who won’t. There is no way that you can prove this information. You think that Paris is beautiful because you’ve seen great pictures of this city, because you’ve been there and liked it, or because your friends shared their amazing experiences of visiting it. However, someone else might like other cities much more and have a million reasons to justify their point of view. When there isn’t only one correct answer, it’s always an opinion. Therefore, the fact that Paris is beautiful is subjective.
When you think about which word to use, ask yourself, is what you’re looking at a fact or an opinion? Will everyone agree with you on the subject, or is there a possibility that different people will have different points of view? If it’s a fact, then it’s objective. If it’s an opinion, then it’s subjective.
Subjective vs. Objective Examples
- This view is subjective and therefore open to disagreement.
- Everyone’s opinion is bound to be subjective.
- Experience is subjective and very hard to measure.
- A literary critic should not be too subjective in his approach.
- I think my husband is the most handsome man in the world, but I realize my judgment is rather subjective.
- Critics say the process was subjective and open to political manipulation.
- He tried to take an objective view of the situation.
- She gives an objective report of what has happened.
- A jury’s decision in a court case must be absolutely objective.
- It’s hard to give an objective opinion about your own children.
- He had no objective evidence that anything extraordinary was happening.
- Scientists need to be objective when doing research.
Difference between Objective vs. Subjective | Picture
Subjective vs. Objective: When do You Use Objective vs. Subjective?
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