subjectivity

noun

sub·​jec·​tiv·​i·​ty (ˌ)səb-ˌjek-ˈti-və-tē 

: 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

In the podcast interview, Condal explained how his HBO adaptation had made many changes while remaining faithful and respectful to Fire & Blood, focusing on the subjectivity of Martin’s book, which is not a novel, but a fictional history book of the Targaryen’s reign. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024

Of course an algorithm won’t capture our minds’ and bodies’ expressive intent and subjectivity—one is built from silicon, zeroes, and ones; the others, from organic elements and hundreds of millions of years of evolution. —Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2024

Baldoni attempted to introduce more subjectivity, and thus, doubt, into Lively's character Lily's experience of abuse at the hands of Baldoni's Ryle. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2024

This is music as subjectivity, and a supreme example of Portman’s gift: Marshaling the power of a full orchestra to achieve an intimate understanding of a singular human life. —Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

subjectivity

noun

sub·​jec·​tiv·​i·​ty ˌsəb-jek-ˈtiv-ət-ē 

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)