point of view
Pluralpoints of view
- 1An attitude, an opinion, or a whole set of beliefs that someone holds.
Her point of view is that schools should start later so teenagers can get more sleep.
The panel was chosen to include a range of political points of view.
Similaroutlook
Note
The plural puts the s on point, not on view: points of view. As an opinion it is something a person holds or has, which is how it differs from the standpoint meaning: a standpoint is occupied for the moment, while a point of view in this sense belongs to someone, as when his point of view is that there is only one true religion.
- 2A position or standpoint from which something is seen or considered.
From a safety point of view, the new design is a clear improvement.
Seen from the pilot's point of view, the runway lights formed a narrow, glowing funnel.
Similarperspective, standpoint, viewpoint, angle
Note
English took the phrase piece by piece from French point de vue, and in this sense it nearly always comes with from: from the operator's point of view, from an economist's point of view. The slot in front takes a person or a field, and the whole phrase frames what follows as one way of seeing, with another view always implied.
- 3The perspective from which a story or other narrative is told.
The novel alternates its point of view between the two sisters, chapter by chapter.
Writing in the first-person point of view lets readers hear the narrator's private doubts.
Similarperspective, viewpoint
Note
Critics sort point of view by grammatical person: first person tells the story as I, second person as you, and third person as he, she or they. Third person splits into omniscient, which can enter any mind, and limited, which stays close to one character. An unreliable narrator, as in The Usual Suspects, is a point of view the reader learns to doubt.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of point of view apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
A calque of French point de vue.