Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Objective \Ob*jec"tive\, a. [Cf.F. objectif.]
   1. Of or pertaining to an object.

   2. (Metaph.) Of or pertaining to an object; contained in, or
      having the nature or position of, an object; outward;
      external; extrinsic; -- an epithet applied to whatever ir
      exterior to the mind, or which is simply an object of
      thought or feeling, and opposed to {subjective}.

            In the Middle Ages, subject meant substance, and has
            this sense in Descartes and Spinoza: sometimes,
            also, in Reid. Subjective is used by William of
            Occam to denote that which exists independent of
            mind; objective, what is formed by the mind. This
            shows what is meant by realitas objectiva in
            Descartes. Kant and Fichte have inverted the
            meanings. Subject, with them, is the mind which
            knows; object, that which is known; subjective, the
            varying conditions of the knowing mind; objective,
            that which is in the constant nature of the thing
            known.                                --Trendelenburg.

            Objective means that which belongs to, or proceeds
            from, the object known, and not from the subject
            knowing, and thus denotes what is real, in
            opposition to that which is ideal -- what exists in
            nature, in contrast to what exists merely in the
            thought of the individual.            --Sir. W.
                                                  Hamilton.

            Objective has come to mean that which has
            independent exostence or authority, apart from our
            experience or thought. Thus, moral law is said to
            have objective authority, that is, authority
            belonging to itself, and not drawn from anything in
            our nature.                           --Calderwood
                                                  (Fleming's
                                                  Vocabulary).

   3. (Gram.) Pertaining to, or designating, the case which
      follows a transitive verb or a preposition, being that
      case in which the direct object of the verb is placed. See
      {Accusative}, n.

   Note: The objective case is frequently used without a
         governing word, esp. in designations of time or space,
         where a preposition, as at, in, on, etc., may be
         supplied.

               My troublous dream [on] this night make me sad.
                                                  --Shak.

               To write of victories [in or for] next year.
                                                  --Hudibras.

   {Objective line} (Perspective), a line drawn on the
      geometrical plane which is represented or sought to be
      represented.

   {Objective plane} (Perspective), any plane in the horizontal
      plane that is represented.

   {Objective point}, the point or result to which the
      operations of an army are directed. By extension, the
      point or purpose to which anything, as a journey or an
      argument, is directed.

   Syn: {Objective}, {Subjective}.

   Usage: Objective is applied to things exterior to the mind,
          and objects of its attention; subjective, to the
          operations of the mind itself. Hence, an objective
          motive is some outward thing awakening desire; a
          subjective motive is some internal feeling or
          propensity. Objective views are those governed by
          outward things; subjective views are produced or
          modified by internal feeling. Sir Walter Scott's
          poetry is chiefly objective; that of Wordsworth is
          eminently subjective.

                In the philosophy of mind, subjective denotes
                what is to be referred to the thinking subject,
                the ego; objective what belongs to the object of
                thought, the non-ego.             --Sir. W.
                                                  Hamilton

Objective \Ob*jec"tive\, n.
   1. (Gram.) The objective case.

   2. An object glass. See under {Object}, n.

   3. Same as {Objective point}, under {Objective}, a.

Source : WordNet®

objective
     n 1: the goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to
          be attainable); "the sole object of her trip was to see
          her children" [syn: {aim}, {object}, {target}]
     2: the lens or system of lenses nearest the object being viewed
        [syn: {object glass}]

objective
     adj 1: undistorted by emotion or personal bias; based on observable
            phenomena; "an objective appraisal"; "objective
            evidence" [syn: {nonsubjective}] [ant: {subjective}]
     2: serving as or indicating the object of a verb or of certain
        prepositions and used for certain other purposes;
        "objective case"; "accusative endings" [syn: {accusative}]
     3: emphasizing or expressing things as perceived without
        distortion of personal feelings or interpretation;
        "objective art"
     4: belonging to immediate experience of actual things or
        events; "concrete benefits"; "a concrete example"; "there
        is no objective evidence of anything of the kind"