subjectivity

noun

sub·​jec·​tiv·​i·​ty (ˌ)səb-ˌjek-ˈti-və-tē How to pronounce subjectivity (audio)
: the quality, state, or nature of being subjective
Any attempt to link landscapes and music together can suffer from some measure of subjectivity.David J. Keeling
He thinks that scientists and philosophers have unjustly neglected the subjectivity of conscious experience and that this has made it harder for them to explain some of the workings of the mind.Anthony Gottlieb

Examples of subjectivity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The reason is equality obvious: in most jobs, particularly knowledge economy jobs, performance evaluations are contaminated by subjectivity, politics, and impressions. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024 Into this wound, imagination may pour—not to invade the other’s subjectivity, but to awaken awe at the depth, privacy, and singularity of each life. Seyward Darby, Longreads, 11 Dec. 2024 And this is not only because to have a center is to be well settled into one’s subjectivity, resigned to one’s blind spots, but also because many of us are unenthusiastic about thinking of ourselves as fastened to a silent doctrine. Hisham Matar, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024 But Ross employs his method to create a depth of subjectivity that matches Whitehead’s language, and an intense physicality that surpasses the familiar tropes of cinematic representation. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for subjectivity 

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of subjectivity was in 1803

Dictionary Entries Near subjectivity

Cite this Entry

“Subjectivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subjectivity. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

Medical Definition

subjectivity

noun
sub·​jec·​tiv·​i·​ty ˌsəb-jek-ˈtiv-ət-ē How to pronounce subjectivity (audio)
plural subjectivities
1
: subjective character, quality, state, or nature
2
: the personal qualities of an investigator that affect the outcome of scientific or medical research (as by unconsciously communicating a bias to the subject of the experiment)

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