Perspective Meaning and Definition

Perspective

Perspective

Pronunciation

/ˈpərsəpɪv/

Part of Speech

Noun

Definition

A point of view or outlook: a way of considering or regarding something.

Examples

  • He changed his perspective on the issue after meeting with the experts.
  • Her romantic comedy perspective colored her judgment of the movies.

Etymology

From Old French perspective, from Latin perspicere “see through”, from per “through” + speculari “to see”.

Usage Notes

Perspective is often used to describe a particular way of looking at something, such as a character’s perspective in a novel or a scientist’s perspective on a phenomenon.

Cultural References

In literature, perspective is a crucial element in many works, such as James Joyce’s Ulysses, which experiments with narrative perspective.

Idiomatic Expressions or Phrases

  • To gain a new perspective on something
  • To broaden one’s perspective

Related Words or Phrases

  • Viewpoint
  • Outlook
  • Attitude

Collocations

  • a fresh perspective
  • a new perspective on things

Frequency of Use

Perspective is a common word in modern language, with an estimated frequency of 1.45 per million words.

Common Misspellings

  • persitence
  • perspetive

Related Words