opinion

American  

[uh-pin-yuhn] / əˈpɪn jən /

noun

• opinions
  plural

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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Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

• preopinion
  noun
• underopinion
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• opinions
  plural

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”

Explanation

An opinion is a belief or attitude about something that isn't necessarily based on facts. It's your opinion that dogs make better pets than cats, but your sister thinks that cats are superior. Too bad your parents' opinion is that pets are too expensive. You may have an opinion about a celebrity that I don't share. There's no way to prove who's right and who's wrong. Those are our thoughts about her, and that's the way it is. Ironically, when a judge decides a case, his or her ruling is referred to as an opinion. Even though what the judge says will become a matter of law, it's still just their opinion, based on what was presented by the two sides in a trial.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

opinion opinions

“As a matter of state law, the 2022 map — not the 2025 map — must be used in the 2026 congressional election,” the justices said in an unsigned opinion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

In the event that the U.N.’s International Court of Justice—which has issued an advisory opinion concerning the Chagos Archipelago—takes further action, the situation could escalate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

In his opinion Judge Gregory Katsas, writing for two of the three appellate judges, said "in our Republic, it is the President and the Secretary of War who must determine how best to balance" risks.

From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026

Halkias sees fast food and professional sports as the two arenas most likely to turn opinion against private equity and investment firms more generally.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026

At Dad, for not even asking my opinion before yanking me out of Westside and hauling me off to Chumley.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

And even those who don't like the direction of travel are labelling their opinions as a desire to be helpful, they're not trying to criticise the boss.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

In grief, people don’t need opinions or guidance so much as they just need a witness.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

When Sheen did encounter diverging opinions, his profound humility and willingness to admit mistakes only increased the respect his contemporaries had for him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

It’s a completely different life to have everybody have opinions about your work than it is to take your kids to school every day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Capron was “perfectly willing” for these witnesses to “say for themselves what their opinions are …” In other words, if ordinary readers didn’t believe, they should ask their more distinguished neighbors.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

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