Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality of being based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions: Subjectivity refers to judgments and perspectives that originate from an individual's internal state rather than from objective, external facts.
   • The condition of viewing things through the lens of one's own mind: It denotes the state of being a conscious, experiencing subject whose understanding is shaped by personal consciousness.

Usage

• Subjectivity is an uncountable noun.
• It is used to describe the inherent personal bias in perception, judgment, or interpretation.
• It is often discussed in contrast to objectivity.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Art criticism involves a degree of subjectivity; what one person loves, another may dislike.
  • The historian acknowledged the subjectivity inherent in interpreting ancient texts.
  • Her decision was based more on subjectivity than on the available data.

Advanced Usage

• "The problem of subjectivity": A philosophical issue concerning how personal consciousness relates to knowledge of the external world.
  • Philosophers have long debated the problem of subjectivity in perception.
• "Radical subjectivity": An extreme emphasis on personal, internal experience as the primary source of truth or reality.
  • The poet's work is characterized by its radical subjectivity.

Variants and Related Words

• Subjective (adj): Based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.
  • That is a very subjective opinion.
• Subjectivism (n): The doctrine that knowledge is merely subjective and that there is no external or objective truth.
  • His philosophy leaned towards subjectivism.

Synonyms

• Personal perspective: An individual's particular point of view.
• Bias: Inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair. (Note: Bias often has a more negative connotation than subjectivity.)

Antonyms

• Objectivity: The quality of being based on observable phenomena and presented factually, unbiased by personal feelings or opinions.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "A matter of subjectivity": Used to indicate that something depends on personal opinion and is not definitively answerable.
  • Whether the film is good or not is a matter of subjectivity.

Noun

1. judgment based on individual personal impressions and feelings and opinions rather than external facts