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Simple English definitions for legal terms
subjective meaning
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A quick definition of subjective meaning:
Subjective meaning refers to the personal understanding or interpretation of something, such as words or a communication. It may include a mistaken but reasonable understanding of what was meant. In contrast, objective meaning is the meaning that a disinterested reasonable person would attribute to an unambiguous document. When interpreting a legal document, the plain meaning rule is often used, which means giving the words their ordinary sense without considering the author's intent. Finally, subjective meaning is the meaning that a party to a legal document attributes to it when it is written, executed, or adopted.
A more thorough explanation:
Subjective meaning refers to the personal interpretation or understanding of something, especially words. It is the meaning that a person attributes to a communication based on their own experiences, beliefs, and perspectives.
For example, if someone says "I'm fine" in response to the question "How are you?", the subjective meaning of their response may vary depending on the context and the person's relationship with the speaker. To one person, "I'm fine" may mean that everything is great, while to another person it may mean that they are struggling but don't want to talk about it.
Subjective meaning is different from objective meaning, which is the meaning that a disinterested reasonable person would attribute to a communication based on the surrounding circumstances. In legal contexts, parties to a contract may be held to the objective meaning of the contract, even if they subjectively understood or intended something else.
Overall, subjective meaning is important to consider when communicating with others, as it can greatly impact how a message is received and understood.