Point of view, standpoint, viewpoint

Photo of author

Grammarist

Point of view, standpoint, and viewpoint are synonyms, all referring to a position (either mental or physical) from which something is observed or considered. A few English reference sources recommend point of view over the alternatives, but viewpoint and standpoint are common, and there’s nothing wrong with them.

The terms sometimes have connotational differences, though. Standpoint and viewpoint are often synonymous with perspective, while point of view is often treated as gentle synonym of opinion.

Incidentally, there is no reason to hyphenate point of view.

Examples

Viewpoint and standpoint

From the Conservative viewpoint, it would have the advantage of highlighting how much each individual pays in tax. [Guardian]

From an economic standpoint, marijuana legalization would save $7.7 billion per year in funds spent on prohibition enforcement. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Doomsday predictions aside, the raw data provides the opposite viewpoint. [Financial Post]

Point of view

From a purely statistical point of view, it would seem so. [Forbes]

Depending on your point of view, dirt can be a deadly foe, an unsavoury sight or a mark of authenticity. [Independent]

But labor officials are beginning to fear that none of them will be invited on this weekend to give voice to the labor point of view. [Washington Post]