subjective

Everyday

1. Subjective means based on someone's own feelings, tastes or opinions rather than on facts that everyone can check: "Which song is best is subjective." tree →
2. (grammar) The subjective case is the form of a pronoun used as the subject of a sentence: I, he, she, we, they (not me, him, her, us, them). tree →

In the lessons

In English and science lessons pupils learn the difference between subjective (opinion) and objective (fact you can measure or check). In reviews and persuasive writing, opinions are subjective. In science, measuring with instruments reduces subjective judgement. Phrases: "purely subjective", "a subjective opinion", "subjective judgement".

Examples

• Whether pizza is better than pasta is subjective. tree →
• Art marks can be a bit subjective. tree →
• "This film is boring" is a subjective statement. tree →
• Scientists use rulers instead of subjective guesses. tree →
• Taste is subjective: my sister loves olives, I hate them. tree →
• His report was subjective, full of his own feelings. tree →
• Is beauty subjective or objective? We debated it in class. tree →

Note

Opposite: objective. Adverb: subjectively. A subjective opinion is not wrong; it is just yours, and others may disagree. Facts can be checked; opinions cannot be proved true or false.