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Meaning & use

perspective on life

phrase·Everyday

Last updated

UK/pəˌspektɪv ɒn ˈlaɪf/
US/pərˌspektɪv ɑːn ˈlaɪf/

Meanings

  1. phrasecountable

    a particular way of thinking about what life means and what is important in it.

    Grammar: Countable and usually used with 'a' or a plural: a perspective on life, their perspectives on life.

    Patterns

    • a perspective on life
    • someone's perspective on life
    • gain a new perspective on life

    Travel gave her a wider perspective on life.

    After his illness, he developed a more grateful perspective on life.

    The two friends have very different perspectives on life.

  2. phrasecountable

    a way of judging how serious or important things are, based on your overall attitude to living.

    Grammar: Often used after 'keep' or 'put something in': keep a perspective on life.

    Patterns

    • keep a perspective on life
    • put something in perspective on life
    • lose perspective on life

    Working with sick children helped him keep a healthy perspective on life.

    She lost her perspective on life and worried about small things.

    A good holiday can give you a fresh perspective on life.

Word forms

pluralperspectives on life

Common combinations

gain a perspective on life
Volunteering abroad helped him gain a new perspective on life.
a fresh perspective on life
The break gave her a fresh perspective on life.
a positive perspective on life
His positive perspective on life inspired everyone around him.
change someone's perspective on life
The accident changed his perspective on life completely.
keep a perspective on life
Try to keep a balanced perspective on life when work gets stressful.

Synonyms and how they differ

outlook on life
Outlook on life is very close and often suggests a general attitude toward the future, while perspective stresses how you see and judge things.
worldview
Worldview is broader and more formal, covering beliefs about society and the universe, not just personal attitudes to living.
philosophy of life
Philosophy of life suggests a more thought-out set of principles, whereas a perspective on life can be a simple, unplanned attitude.

Word family

perspective noun
a way of thinking about or understanding something.
life noun
the state of being alive, or the way someone lives.
lifelong adjective
lasting for the whole of your life.

Commonly confused: perspective on life or point of view?

perspective on life vs point of view

Point of view usually means an opinion on one issue or the angle of a story; perspective on life is a broad attitude to living in general.

Practice

After the trip, she came back with a completely new ______.

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