aspect
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
one part of a situation, idea, or problem that you can consider.
a particular part, feature, or facet of a situation, idea, or problem. Often used in academic contexts to break down a complex topic.
Simple“We need to consider every aspect of the problem before we make a final decision.”
In context“The committee examined every financial aspect of the merger, ensuring that no hidden liabilities remained unaddressed before the final vote.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
the direction that a building or a window faces.
the position of a building or other structure in relation to the points of the compass; the side of a building facing a particular direction.
Simple“The house has a southern aspect, so the living room gets plenty of sunlight.”
In context“The architect recommended a southern aspect for the main gallery to maximize natural light during the winter months.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
a way of using verbs to show if an action is finished or still happening.
a category of the verb describing the relationship of an action to the passage of time, such as whether it is completed or ongoing.
Simple“The progressive aspect in English is used for actions that are happening right now.”
In context“While tense indicates the time of an event, aspect provides information about its internal temporal structure, such as whether it is habitual or continuous.”
UsageUsually distinguished from 'tense', which refers to when an action happens (past, present, future).
- 04 C2 Proficiency
the way a person's face looks or their general appearance.
the visual appearance or expression of a person or thing, especially as it reflects a certain quality or emotion.
Simple“The old man had a very serious aspect that made the children feel quiet.”
In context“The castle took on a forbidding aspect as the storm clouds gathered over the jagged peaks of the surrounding mountains.”
Synonyms - 05 C2 Proficiency
a part of a computer program that handles a specific task across different sections.
a feature or component that can be applied to various parts of a program independently of the standard inheritance hierarchy.
Simple“The developer used an aspect to handle error logging throughout the entire application.”
In context“By utilizing aspect-oriented programming, the team was able to separate cross-cutting concerns like security and logging from the core business logic.”
Usage aspects of life · address aspect · aspect contribute
“Cancer includes a broad group of diseases, and many aspects of life, from stress to food to environment, can modify someone’s risk.”
“But Ghana is leading the way in another aspect of trying to heal the damage done by the slave trade.”
From Middle English aspect, from Latin aspectus (“look, sight; appearance”), from aspiciō (“see; catch sight of; inspect”), from ad- (“to, towards, at”) + speciō (“look, look at, behold; observe”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.