Perspective Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Kids Definition of perspective · 1 : the angle or direction in which a person looks at an object · 2 : point of view · 3 : the ability to understand what is ... Login SignUp Hello, Games&Quizzes Thesaurus WordoftheDay Features BuyingGuide M-WBooks JoinMWU MyWordsMyWords ViewRecents Account LogOut perspective noun(1) SaveWord per·​spec·​tive |\pər-ˈspek-tiv \ Definitionofperspective (Entry1of3) 1a :amentalvieworprospect togainabroaderperspectiveontheinternationalscene—CurrentBiography b :avisiblescene especially :onegivingadistinctiveimpressionofdistance:vista 2a :theinterrelationinwhichasubjectoritspartsarementallyviewed placestheissuesinproperperspective also :pointofview b :thecapacitytoviewthingsintheirtruerelationsorrelativeimportance tryingtomaintainmyperspective 3 :theappearancetotheeyeofobjectsinrespecttotheirrelativedistanceandpositions 4a :thetechniqueorprocessofrepresentingonaplaneorcurvedsurfacethespatialrelationofobjectsastheymightappeartotheeye specifically :representationinadrawingorpaintingofparallellinesasconverginginordertogivetheillusionofdepthanddistance b :apictureinperspective perspective adjective Definitionofperspective (Entry2of3) 1 :of,relatingto,employing,orseeninperspective perspectivedrawing 2 obsolete :aidingthevision hiseyesshouldbelikeuntothewrongendofaperspectiveglass—AlexanderPope perspective noun(2) Definitionofperspective (Entry3of3) archaic :anopticalglass(suchasatelescope) OtherWordsfromperspective Didyouknow? MoreExampleSentences PhrasesContainingperspective LearnMoreAboutperspective OtherWordsfromperspective Noun(1) perspectival \ pər-​ˈspek-​ti-​vəl ,ˌpər-​(ˌ)spek-​ˈtī-​vəl \ adjective Adjective perspectively adverb Didyouknow? Tothemodernmind,it'shardtobelievethatperspectivehadtobe"discovered",butbeforethe1400spaintingssimplylackedaccurateperspective.Instead,importantpeopleandobjectsweresimplyshownlargerthanlessimportantones;andalthoughdistantobjectsweresometimesshownsmallerthannearones,thiswasn'tdoneinaregularandaccurateway.Justasodd,manypaintingsdidn'trepresenttheothermeaningofperspectiveeither—thatis,ascenemightnotbeshownasifitwerebeingseenfromonesingleplace.Today,perspectiveisusedmuchlikestandpoint.Justasstandpointonceusedtomeansimplythephysicalplacewhereyoustandbuttodayalsomeansthewayyou"see"thingsasaresultofwhoyouareandwhatyoudo,thesamecouldbesaidaboutperspective. ExamplesofperspectiveinaSentence Noun(1) Theeleganteconomyofthedrawingandthewildinventivenessofsuchpictorialdevicesasthetoweringpitcher'smoundandtheimpossibleperspectiveofSnoopy'sdoghousekeeptherepetitiveness,talkiness,andmelancholyofthestripafewbuoyantinchesofftheground,andsaveitfrombeingfey. —JohnUpdike,NewYorker,22Oct.2007 Coursesofferaninternationalperspective,soevenalessonontheAmericanRevolutionwillinterweavesourcesfromBritainandFrancewithviewsfromtheFoundingFathers. —ClaudiaWallisetal.,Time,18Dec.2006 TipperandIstillmarvelateverythingwesawandtheperspectiveitoffered.AtamomentwhenthecountrywasstillinthethroesoftheconflictoverVietnam,itwasrefreshingtoseethebestofAmerica. —AlGore,AnInconvenientTruth,2006 PhrasesContainingperspective aerialperspective forcedperspective linearperspective aerialperspective forcedperspective linearperspective FirstKnownUseofperspective Noun(1) 1563,inthemeaningdefinedatsense4aAdjective 1570,inthemeaningdefinedatsense1Noun(2) 14thcentury,inthemeaningdefinedabove HistoryandEtymologyforperspective Noun(1) MiddleFrench,probablymodificationofOldItalianprospettiva,fromprospettoview,prospect,fromLatinprospectus—moreatprospect Adjective MiddleEnglish,optical,fromMedievalLatinperspectivus Noun(2) MiddleEnglishperspectyf,fromMedievalLatinperspectivum,fromneuterofperspectivusofsight,optical,fromLatinperspectus,pastparticipleofperspiceretolookthrough,seeclearly,fromper-through+speceretolook—moreatper-,spy BuyingGuide OurReviewsteamhasselectedthebestdigitalcameras. LearnMoreAboutperspective Shareperspective PosttheDefinitionofperspectivetoFacebook SharetheDefinitionofperspectiveonTwitter TimeTravelerforperspective Thefirstknownuseofperspectivewas inthe14thcentury Seemorewordsfromthesamecentury FromtheEditorsatMerriam-Webster PointofView:It'sPersonal PointofView:It'sPersonal First,second,andthirdpersonexplained 'Speculate':LookingforaProfit 'Speculate':LookingforaProfit Fromseeingwithyourowneyestoimaginingasuccessfulinvestment TheHistoryBehind8HalloweenWords TheHistoryBehind8HalloweenWords Thesewordshauntus DictionaryEntriesNearperspective persp perspective perspectiveformula SeeMoreNearbyEntries  Statisticsforperspective Look-upPopularity CitethisEntry “Perspective.”Merriam-Webster.comDictionary,Merriam-Webster,https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perspective.Accessed21Jul.2022. Style:MLA MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster MoreDefinitionsforperspective perspective noun per·​spec·​tive |\pər-ˈspek-tiv \ KidsDefinitionofperspective 1 :theangleordirectioninwhichapersonlooksatanobject 2 :pointofview 3 :theabilitytounderstandwhatisimportantandwhatisn't Iknowyou'redisappointed,butkeepyourperspective. 4 :anaccurateratingofwhatisimportantandwhatisn't Let'skeepthingsinperspective. 5 :theartofpaintingordrawingascenesothatobjectsinitseemtohavetheirrightshapeandtobetherightdistanceapart MorefromMerriam-Websteronperspective Thesaurus:Allsynonymsandantonymsforperspective Nglish:TranslationofperspectiveforSpanishSpeakers BritannicaEnglish:TranslationofperspectiveforArabicSpeakers Britannica.com:Encyclopediaarticleaboutperspective WORDOFTHEDAY iconoclast SeeDefinitionsandExamples» GetWordoftheDaydailyemail! TestYourVocabulary NameThatFood Namethesecookies! macaroons macarons Testyourvocabularywithour10-questionquiz! TAKETHEQUIZ Adailychallengeforcrosswordfanatics. 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