Objectively

How to spell objectively

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce objectively

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does objectively mean?

1. adverbIn a way that is based on facts and free from personal feelings or bias.

Objectively in a sentence

• The auditor reviewed the accounts objectively before drawing any conclusion.

• A good referee judges every decision objectively, regardless of which team scores.

Where does objectively come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb jacere, which literally meant 'to throw' or 'to cast', combined with the prefix ob- in the sense of 'toward' or 'against'. The medieval Latin form objectum named a thing 'thrown before' or presented to the mind, that is, something perceived, which gave rise to 'object'. From this English derived the adjective 'objective' in the 1600s to describe what relates to an external thing rather than to the observer's feelings, and the adverb 'objectively' followed by adding the familiar -ly ending. The same ject root, meaning to throw, runs through a large family of relatives including 'project' (thrown forward), 'reject' (thrown back), and 'inject' (thrown in). The spelling stays steady because each piece is intact: keep the silent reminder that the heart of the word is ject, then layer -ive and -ly cleanly on top.

How the word is built

• ob- (against, toward)
• ject (from Latin jacere: to throw)
• -ive (adjective suffix)
• -ly (adverb suffix)