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

Mobile phones, used to record many of the actions of the federal force, spread images nationwide, helping to shape public opinion and challenge false claims.

From The Wall Street Journal

News organizations want more voices and views—fine, good for them, more spirited opinion, good.

From The Wall Street Journal

I genuinely don’t care whether we stay in a hotel, but everyone seems to have more opinions than I do, so I think they should make the decision.

From MarketWatch

The coalition invited the six candidates with greatest support in recent public opinion polls.

From Los Angeles Times

"Are we in a phase where investors as a whole are overexcited about AI? My opinion is yes," he said last year.

From BBC

Related Words

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