1
a
: a particular status or phase in which something appears or may be regarded
They studied every aspect of the question.
b(1)
: appearance to the eye or mind
the threatening aspect of the dark sky
(2)
: a particular appearance of the face : mien
… all that's best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes.—Lord Byron
2
a
: the position of planets or stars with respect to one another held by astrologers to influence human affairs
also
: the apparent position (such as conjunction) of a body in the solar system with respect to the sun
b
: a position facing a particular direction : exposure
a house with a southern aspect
c
: the manner of presentation of a plane to a fluid through which it is moving or to a current
3
grammar
a
: the nature of the action of a verb as to its beginning, duration, completion, or repetition and without reference to its position in time
b
: a set of inflected (see inflect sense 1) verb forms that indicate aspect
4
archaic
: an act of looking : gaze
Did you know?
Since aspectus in Latin means "looked at", an aspect of something is basically the direction from which it's looked at. So we may say that travel is your favorite aspect of your job, or that eating well is one aspect of a healthy life. If you look at a stage set from the front, it looks completely different than from behind, where all the mechanisms are visible, and both aspects are important. The word can be very useful when you're analyzing something, and it's used a great deal in the writings of scholars.
Cite this Entry
“Aspect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aspect. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.
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