I. əˈpinyən sometimes ōˈp- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin opinion-, opinio; akin to Latin opinari
1.
a. : a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter or particular matters
why ask my opinion if you have already decided
b.
(1) : favorable impression or estimation (as of a person) : approval , esteem — usually used negatively or with adjectives of degree
I have no great opinion of his work
(2) obsolete : self-confidence , self-conceit
2.
a. : belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge : settled judgment in regard to any point : a notion or conviction founded on probable evidence : a belief or view based on interpretation of observed facts and experience
a man of rigid opinions
b. : something that is generally or widely accepted as factual : a generally held or popular view
opinion is swinging in his favor
c. : a view or belief that is not demonstrable as fact
this is only my opinion of course
3.
a. : a formal expression by an expert (as a professional authority) of his thought upon or judgment or advice concerning a matter
decided to obtain a medical opinion of the case
b. : the formal expression (as by a judge, court, referee) of the legal reasons and principles upon which a legal decision is based ; also : the judgment or decision so based
4. obsolete : estimation in which one is held by others ; especially : favorable reputation
5. obsolete : expectation , anticipation
6. Platonism : conjecture or belief based on experience and perception
Synonyms:
view , belief , conviction , persuasion , sentiment : these nouns have in common the sense of a more or less clearly formulated idea or judgment which one holds as true. opinion implies a conclusion concerning something on which ideas may differ, not, however, excluding a careful consideration or weighing of evidence or pros and cons, but usually stressing the subjectivity and disputability of the conclusion
opposing political opinions
a man of strong likes and dislikes but few opinions
a dissenting opinion handed down by a Supreme Court judge
to prefer to deal in facts rather than opinions
view is an opinion or set of opinions usually more or less colored by individual feeling, sentiment, or bias
the political views of the opposing party
expressed her views on the role of education in the integration of home and community life — Current Biography
to air one's views
belief differs from view or opinion in implying a conclusion or set of interrelated conclusions not necessarily formulated by the individual but often constituting a dogma, doctrine, or proposition already formulated prior to the individual's acceptance or adoption of it; it emphasizes the individual's assent to the conclusion or his assurance of its truth
religious beliefs
old customs and old beliefs — Wilfrid Goatman
to hold the belief that man has certain inalienable rights
conviction is a belief held strongly because one has no doubts about its truth
the conviction that where one was born and lives is the best place in the world — E.L.Ullman
along with that faith have lost the old … conviction that most people are good and that evil is merely an accident — Malcolm Cowley
a man of many positive convictions
persuasion suggests a belief or set of beliefs held strongly, often predominantly though by no means exclusively on nonlogical or nonrational grounds
Christians of all persuasions — Current Biography
the childish persuasion that we have the only rational way of doing things — Gustave Weigel
an artist who is not of the contemporary persuasion — Sydney (Australia) Bulletin
sentiment , rather infrequent today in this sense, suggests a more or less settled opinion, often involving feelings or emotions
a speech in which he expressed an apparent reversal of his known conservative sentiments — A.L.Funk
to express strong sentiments on a political issue
•
- be of the opinion
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
chiefly dialect : opine