opinion

American  

[uh-pin-yuhn] / əˈpɪn yən /

noun

1. a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty.

   Synonyms:

   impression, idea, notion, persuasion

2. a personal view, attitude, or appraisal.

3. the formal expression of a professional judgment.

   to ask for a second medical opinion.

4. Law. the formal statement by a judge or court of the reasoning and the principles of law used in reaching a decision of a case.

5. a judgment or estimate of a person or thing with respect to character, merit, etc..

   to forfeit someone's good opinion.

6. Archaic. a favorable estimate; esteem.

   I haven't much of an opinion of him.

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opinion British  

/ əˈpɪnjən /

noun

1. judgment or belief not founded on certainty or proof

2. the prevailing or popular feeling or view

   public opinion

3. evaluation, impression, or estimation of the value or worth of a person or thing

4. an evaluation or judgment given by an expert

   a medical opinion

5. the advice given by a barrister or counsel on a case submitted to him or her for a view on the legal points involved

6. a point open to question

7. to believe that

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opinion Idioms  

1. see form an opinion; matter of opinion.

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Related Words

Opinion, sentiment, view are terms for one's conclusion about something. An opinion is a belief or judgment that falls short of absolute conviction, certainty, or positive knowledge; it is a conclusion that certain facts, ideas, etc., are probably true or likely to prove so: political opinions; an opinion about art; In my opinion this is true. Sentiment (usually pl. ) refers to a rather fixed conviction, usually based on feeling or emotion rather than reasoning: These are my sentiments. View is an estimate of something, an intellectual judgment, a critical survey based on a mental examination, particularly of a public matter: views on governmental planning.

Other Word Forms

• preopinion noun
• underopinion noun

Etymology

Origin of opinion

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin opīniōn- (stem of opīniō ), derivative of opīnārī “to think, deem”

Example Sentences

But collective opinion is formed in a vacuum and spit out as gospel, and that’s not a fair way to approach movies.

From Salon

Now it finds itself in an awkward spot as public opinion turns against the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

While they have strong views about Bass, slightly more than half of those polled said they didn’t know enough about Raman to have an opinion.

From Los Angeles Times

He paid tribute to the quality of the speeches made on the basis of personal opinion rather than party political doctrine.

From BBC

"It was a bad casting decision, in my opinion, and it blew up in their face," the insider said.

From BBC

Related Words

• assessment
• assumption
• attitude
• conclusion
• feeling
• idea
• impression
• judgment
• mind
• notion
• point of view
• reaction
• sentiment
• speculation
• theory
• thought
• view
• viewpoint