opinion
Americannoun
-
a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty.
- Synonyms:
- impression, idea, notion, persuasion
-
a personal view, attitude, or appraisal.
-
the formal expression of a professional judgment.
to ask for a second medical opinion.
-
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.
-
a judgment or estimate of a person or thing with respect to character, merit, etc..
to forfeit someone's good opinion.
-
Archaic. a favorable estimate; esteem.
I haven't much of an opinion of him.
noun
-
judgment or belief not founded on certainty or proof
-
the prevailing or popular feeling or view
public opinion
-
evaluation, impression, or estimation of the value or worth of a person or thing
-
an evaluation or judgment given by an expert
a medical opinion
-
the advice given by a barrister or counsel on a case submitted to him or her for a view on the legal points involved
-
a point open to question
-
to believe that
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing opinion
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 61-70
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Schulman said their survey found in general that "people don't have that strong an opinion on Xi as they do for other leaders".
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
He pointed to an informal opinion about video resumes from the federal government’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2010.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Anything he sings can and might be used against him in the court of public opinion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The best example of that, to me, is the complete lack of humility in Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion in Trump v.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
In my opinion, it was the grown-ups who needed to go back to school.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
Then, on a hot D.C. morning, usually in June, extremely consequential opinions pop up on the court’s website that give and take the rights of millions of Americans.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
This is the source of the well-known tendency for crowdsourced opinions to be remarkably accurate, significantly better than any of us individually.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
It recommended on Thursday that shareholders not accept the offer, saying this is supported by opinions provided by Bank of America and Goldman Sachs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
And throughout her reign, Madonna has lived her inconsistencies, vacillating between opinions and social, spiritual and artistic beliefs of all kinds.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Clearly, she was a dog with her own opinions.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
