perspective

A way of thinking about or understanding something.

• Try looking at it from her perspective.
• The book offers a fresh perspective on city life.
• We discussed the problem from several perspectives.

How to use it: a perspective on something (Travelling gave her a new perspective on family life.); from someone’s perspective (From a child’s perspective, the room seemed enormous.)

Similar words: point of view, viewpoint, outlook

Common phrases: different perspective, from someone’s perspective, perspective on something

The ability to judge how important things really are compared with other things.

• Try to keep some perspective.
• He lost all perspective over one small mistake.
• The trip put my worries in perspective.

How to use it: keep/put something in perspective (Talking to a friend helped me put the problem in perspective.)

Similar words: sense of proportion, balanced judgment

Common phrases: keep perspective, lose perspective, put something in perspective

A way of drawing that makes things look nearer or farther away on a flat surface.

• Perspective makes the street look deep.
• We learned to draw buildings in perspective.
• The artist used perspective to show the room’s size.

Common phrases: linear perspective, draw in perspective, use perspective

A view of a scene, especially one stretching into the distance.

• A wide perspective opened before us.
• Beyond the window lay a perspective of distant hills.
• The terrace offered a lovely perspective of the valley.

Similar words: view, vista, outlook

Common phrases: distant perspective, wide perspective, perspective of hills

Using or relating to a drawing method that shows depth and distance.

• She made a perspective drawing of the house.
• The plan includes a perspective view of the garden.
• Perspective lines help the artist show distance.

Common phrases: perspective drawing, perspective view, perspective projection