point of view

n. pl. points of view

1. A manner of viewing things; an attitude.

a. A position from which something is observed or considered; a standpoint.

b. The attitude or outlook of a narrator or character in a piece of literature, a movie, or another art form.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

point of view

n, pl points of view

1. a position from which someone or something is observed

2. a mental viewpoint or attitude

3. the mental position from which a story is observed or narrated: the omniscient point of view.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

point′ of view′

1. a specified or stated manner of consideration or appraisal; standpoint.

2. an opinion, attitude, or judgment.

3. (in a literary work) the position of the narrator in relation to the story.

point of view

– view – opinion

1. 'point of view'

When you are considering one aspect of a situation, you can say that you are considering it from a particular point of view.

From a practical point of view it is quite easy.

The movie was very successful from a commercial point of view.

A person's point of view is their general attitude to something, or the way they feel about something.

We understand your point of view.

I tried to see things from Frank's point of view.

2. 'view' and 'opinion'

Don't refer to what someone thinks or believes about a particular subject as their 'point of view'. Refer to it as their view or opinion.

Leo's view is that there is not enough evidence.

If you want my honest opinion, I don't think it will work.

View is most commonly used in the plural.

We are happy to listen to your views.

He was sent to jail for his political views.

You talk about someone's opinions or views on or about a subject.

He always asked for her opinions on his work.

I have strong views about education.

You can use expressions such as in my opinion or in his view to show that something is an opinion, and may not be a fact.

He's not doing a very good job in my opinion.

These changes, in his view, would be very damaging.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	point of view - a mental position from which things are viewed; "we should consider this problem from the viewpoint of the Russians"; "teaching history gave him a special point of view toward current events" standpoint, viewpoint, stand stance, posture, position - a rationalized mental attitude cityscape - a viewpoint toward a city or other heavily populated area; "the dominant character of the cityscape is it poverty" landscape - an extensive mental viewpoint; "the political landscape looks bleak without a change of administration"; "we changed the landscape for solving the problem of payroll inequity" slant, angle - a biased way of looking at or presenting something complexion - a point of view or general attitude or inclination; "he altered the complexion of his times"; "a liberal political complexion"
	2.	point of view - the spatial property of the position from which something is observed spatial relation, position - the spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated; "the position of the hands on the clock"; "he specified the spatial relations of every piece of furniture on the stage" camera angle - the point of view of a camera

point of view

noun

The position from which something is observed or considered:

angle, eye, outlook, slant, standpoint, vantage, viewpoint.

Translations

وجهة النظروُجْهَة نَظَر

hledisko

synspunkt

Blickpunkt Standpunkt

sjónarhorn

görüş/bakış açısı

观点

point of view

n → punto di vista

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

view

(vjuː) noun

1. (an outlook on to, or picture of) a scene. Your house has a fine view of the hills; He painted a view of the harbour.

2. an opinion. Tell me your view/views on the subject.

3. an act of seeing or inspecting. We were given a private view of the exhibition before it was opened to the public.

verb

to look at, or regard (something). She viewed the scene with astonishment.

ˈviewer noun

1. a person who watches television. This programme has five million viewers.

2. a device with a magnifying lens, and often with a light, used in viewing transparencies.

ˈviewpoint noun

a point of view. I am looking at the matter from a different viewpoint.

in view of

taking into consideration; because of. In view of the committee's criticisms of him, he felt he had to resign.

on view

being shown or exhibited. There's a marvellous collection of prints on view at the gallery.

point of view

a way or manner of looking at a subject, matter etc. You must consider everyone's point of view before deciding.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

So that from one point of view, Sophocles is an imitator of the same kind as Homer--for both imitate higher types of character; from another point of view, of the same kind as Aristophanes--for both imitate persons acting and doing.

View in context

For the fact that, from the point of view of observation, reason and the will are merely secretions of the brain, and that man following the general law may have developed from lower animals at some unknown period of time, only explains from a fresh side the truth admitted thousands of years ago by all the religious and philosophic theories- that from the point of view of reason man is subject to the law of necessity; but it does not advance by a hair's breadth the solution of the question, which has another, opposite, side, based on the consciousness of freedom.

View in context

"Simply to explain to you, as I have just explained to your Chief, that while we possess every sympathy with, and desire to give every latitude in the world to the military point of view, there are just one or two very small matters in which we must claim to have a voice.

View in context

I speak now from the aesthetic and artistic point of view when I say that life with us is dull; aesthetically and artistically, very dull indeed.

View in context

Good taste will only pardon such digressions as bring him towards his end, and show it from a more striking point of view.

View in context

"My friend," said the Wolf, "it pains me to see you considering so great a question from a purely selfish point of view. It is not just as well for me."

View in context

His wife's staying away in the country was very agreeable to Stepan Arkadyevitch from every point of view: it did the children good, it decreased expenses, and it left him more at liberty.

View in context

I am much interested in the study of national types; in comparing, contrasting, seizing the strong points, the weak points, the point of view of each.

View in context

>From a conversational point of view," Lady Tresham remarked, "our guest to-night seems scarcely likely to distinguish himself."

View in context

Oh, don't think I can't appreciate your point of view! If you killed those men, you killed them to obtain papers which you believed were necessary for the welfare of your country.

View in context

In this point of view, what can be more natural, than that the Templars, who, we know, copied closely the luxuries of the Asiatic warriors with whom they fought, should use the service of the enslaved Africans, whom the fate of war transferred to new masters?

View in context

The truth is that I am unwell--so much so, that I look at everything from the gloomy point of view. The pale, clear sky, the setting sun, the evening stillness--ah, somehow I felt disposed to grieve and feel hurt at these things; my heart seemed to be over-charged, and to be calling for tears to relieve it.

View in context