perspective
perspective — noun
1. a way of understanding something that depends on the place, experience, or purpo
a way of understanding something that depends on the place, experience, or purpose you start from
From a parent's perspective, the later school bus makes sense.
pattern: from someone's perspective
The film shows city life from a child's perspective.
Talking to nurses on the late shift gave me a new perspective on the strike.
perspective on + topic
Years in Seoul changed Elena's perspective on what home means.
- from a legal perspective
- fresh perspective
- different perspective on something
- wider perspective
Grammar Patterns
from someone's perspective
a new perspective on something
change someone's perspective on something
Usage Note
Common after from when naming the starting position, and after on when naming the subject. Distinguish from sense 7, which is about a scene you can physically see.
Common Mistakes
2. a steady way of looking at problems so you do not treat them as bigger or more s
a steady way of looking at problems so you do not treat them as bigger or more serious than they are
After the exam, Dad helped Mia keep the result in perspective.
fixed phrase: keep something in perspective
A week at the hospital gave Ben perspective on his small complaints.
After one mistake, Leo lost perspective and thought the plan was doomed.
Grandma's advice helped the family keep their money worries in perspective.
keep something in perspective
- keep perspective
- lose perspective
- regain perspective
- bring perspective
- balance
stresses emotional steadiness more than comparison
- judgment
is broader and can refer to decision-making in general
- sense of proportion
is the closest phrase when you mean not overreacting
- overreaction
suggests responding as if something were more serious than it is
Grammar Patterns
keep something in perspective
lose perspective
regain perspective
Usage Note
Often used with keep, lose, regain, or bring back. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense is about staying calm and balanced, not about comparing one matter with larger ones.
Common Mistakes
3. a clear sense of how important something really is after you compare it with oth
a clear sense of how important something really is after you compare it with other things
The flood put our travel delay into perspective.
fixed phrase: put something into perspective
Reading refugee stories put our online argument into perspective.
The teacher's illness put my weekend worries into perspective.
A walk through the old village brought the project's problems into perspective.
bring something into perspective
- put something into perspective
- gain perspective
- proper perspective
- new perspective
- context
stresses the larger setting around an issue
- proportion
focuses on correct relative importance
- scale
highlights size or significance in relation to something bigger
- distortion
suggests a false sense of importance
Grammar Patterns
put something into perspective
bring something into perspective
gain perspective
Usage Note
Most often used in the pattern put something into perspective. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense comes from comparison, while sense 2 stresses calm, reasonable control.
Common Mistakes
4. the visual effect, or the drawing method behind it, that makes a flat picture sh
the visual effect, or the drawing method behind it, that makes a flat picture show distance and depth
The art teacher used thin roads to create perspective.
create perspective in a drawing
Without perspective, the houses looked flat against the hill.
In this sketch, the rail lines give the station strong perspective.
lines creating depth
Rina learned perspective by drawing boxes from one fixed point.
- linear perspective
- create perspective
- use perspective
- vanishing point
- depth
names the visual result more generally
- spatial effect
is broader and can apply beyond drawing lessons
- vanishing-point method
is a more specific name for one common way of creating this effect
- flatness
describes a picture with no strong sense of depth
Grammar Patterns
create perspective
use perspective
learn perspective
Usage Note
Common in art classes and design talk, especially with words such as line, point, draw, create, and show. Distinguish from senses 5 and 6, which describe whether one part of a picture fits correctly.
Common Mistakes
5. the condition in a picture where a person or object has the right size and posit
the condition in a picture where a person or object has the right size and position compared with the rest
The front tree is in perspective, but the bridge is not.
fixed phrase: be in perspective
After one small change, the rider finally looked in perspective.
In the new poster, the cafe chairs now look in perspective.
Even from the back row, the painted doorway looked in perspective.
art criticism pattern
- be in perspective
- look in perspective
- perfectly in perspective
- to scale
focuses especially on correct relative size
- well placed
stresses position more than size
- out of perspective
describes a part of the picture that does not fit the rest
Grammar Patterns
be in perspective
look in perspective
Usage Note
Mostly appears after be, look, or stay rather than as a standalone noun. Distinguish from sense 4, which names the overall method of showing depth.
Common Mistakes
6. the condition in a picture where one part is too large, too small, or badly plac
the condition in a picture where one part is too large, too small, or badly placed for everything around it
The left arm is out of perspective in the final painting.
fixed phrase: be out of perspective
Because the window sits too high, the room looks out of perspective.
In the mural, the giant clock looked out of perspective from the doorway.
One short wall made the whole kitchen drawing feel out of perspective.
cause of the visual error
- out of perspective
- look out of perspective
- seem out of perspective
- distorted
is broader and can describe any kind of visual wrongness
- off-scale
focuses especially on size not matching the rest
- badly placed
stresses position rather than size
- in perspective
describes a part of the picture that fits correctly
Grammar Patterns
be out of perspective
look out of perspective
seem out of perspective
Usage Note
Usually appears after be, look, seem, or feel in comments on drawings and paintings. Distinguish from sense 5, which describes the correct state.
Common Mistakes
7. a scene in front of you, especially one that stretches a long way into the dista
a scene in front of you, especially one that stretches a long way into the distance
The doorway frames a long perspective of the garden path.
literary physical view
From the hilltop, there was a broad perspective of fields and sea.
The church porch opens onto a long perspective down the river.
Through the trees, a dark perspective stretched toward the old house.
literary scene stretching into distance
- long perspective
- broad perspective
- fine perspective
- perspective of the valley
Grammar Patterns
a long perspective of something
a broad perspective of something
Usage Note
This physical sense is rarer and more literary than the mental sense in 1. In everyday speech, many speakers would use view or vista instead.
Common Mistakes
perspective — adjective
1. showing depth in a picture, or connected with the drawing method that creates th
showing depth in a picture, or connected with the drawing method that creates that effect
The ceiling painting uses strong perspective lines above the stairs.
common collocation: perspective lines
Students copied a perspective drawing of the school gate.
common collocation: perspective drawing
The museum displayed several perspective studies from the art class.
A perspective grid helped Nora place the windows correctly.
common collocation: perspective grid
- perspective drawing
- perspective lines
- perspective grid
- perspective study
- spatial
broader and used for space relationships in general
- three-dimensional
focuses on the effect of depth rather than the drawing method
- flat
describes art with little or no sense of depth
Grammar Patterns
perspective drawing
perspective lines
perspective grid
Usage Note
Mostly used before nouns such as drawing, line, grid, and study in art contexts. After be, English more often uses the noun perspective, as in 'the picture has good perspective'.
Common Mistakes
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
For sense 1, perspective is useful when the way you understand something depends on where you stand, what you know, or what you care about. Viewpoint is very close, but it often sounds a little more neutral in discussion. Angle usually points to one side of an issue, especially in news, business, or argument. Outlook is broader and more lasting, often describing a person's general mental approach to life or the future. Attitude often includes feeling as well as thought, and it can sound more personal. You might say, 'From a teacher's perspective, the rule is fair,' but 'Her positive outlook helped the team,' or 'His rude attitude upset everyone.'
Etymology
Perspective came into English through French from Medieval Latin perspectiva, a word used for optics and the art of seeing depth. That form is linked to Latin perspicere, meaning 'to look through' or 'look closely at'. The earliest English uses were connected with sight and drawing; later, the word widened to the modern idea of a mental angle on a subject.