perspective
Americannoun
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a technique of depicting volumes and spatial relationships on a flat surface.
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a picture employing this technique, especially one in which it is prominent.
an architect's perspective of a house.
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a visible scene, especially one extending to a distance; vista.
a perspective on the main axis of an estate.
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the state of existing in space before the eye.
The elevations look all right, but the building's composition is a failure in perspective.
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the state of one's ideas, the facts known to one, etc., in having a meaningful interrelationship.
You have to live here a few years to see local conditions in perspective.
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the faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship.
Your data is admirably detailed but it lacks perspective.
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a mental view or prospect.
the dismal perspective of terminally ill patients.
adjective
noun
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a way of regarding situations, facts, etc, and judging their relative importance
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the proper or accurate point of view or the ability to see it; objectivity
try to get some perspective on your troubles
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the theory or art of suggesting three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface, in order to recreate the appearance and spatial relationships that objects or a scene in recession present to the eye
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the appearance of objects, buildings, etc, relative to each other, as determined by their distance from the viewer, or the effects of this distance on their appearance
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a view over some distance in space or time; vista; prospect
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a picture showing perspective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonperspectivenoun
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perspectivaladjective
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perspectivedadjective
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perspectivelessadjective
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perspectivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of perspective
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin perspectīva (ars) “optical (science),” perspectīvum “optical glass,” noun uses of feminine and neuter of perspectīvus “optical,” equivalent to Latin perspect(us) “looked at closely,” past participle of perspicere “to look at closely” ( see per-, inspect) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Your perspective is the way you see something. If you think that toys corrupt children's minds, then from your perspective a toy shop is an evil place. Perspective has a Latin root meaning "look through" or "perceive," and all the meanings of perspective have something to do with looking. If you observe the world from a dog's perspective, you see through the dog's eyes. In drawing, perspective gives your drawing the appearance of depth or distance. If we say someone "has perspective," we mean she has a sensible outlook on life.
Vocabulary lists containing perspective
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
From a military perspective, tensions have been raised another notch by the deal announced on Wednesday, paving the way for US firms to help Saudi Arabia develop its own domestic civil nuclear power programme.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
He also pointed to strong average prices for Intel’s products: “From a pricing perspective, things held up better than we expected,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
"From a financial perspective, it is driven by production rates," Stephanie Pope, head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said at Farnborough.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
More importantly, from a technical-analysis perspective, should USD/JPY rise further, the exchange rate could move toward 176, its next resistance region.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Galileo’s own mathematics teacher, Ostilio Ricci, taught perspective to painters.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Cunningham's team, the Indiana Fever, on Wednesday issued a statement saying: "Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
To decide which projects to take to screen, the creative team often pulls directly from online chatter by fandoms and looks for distinct perspectives, said Peter Friedlander, Amazon MGM Studios’ head of global TV.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
He said it was “very difficult to change the culture of a department that was destroyed by the wrong perspectives with the same officers that were there.”
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
They’re very different jobs, and I came at them from very different perspectives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The problem, it is claimed, with grand narratives is that they privilege one perspective over another; the alternative is a relativism which holds that all perspectives are equally valid.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.