Opinion

//əˈpɪn.jən// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A belief, judgment or perspective that a person has formed, either through objective or subjective reasoning, about a topic, issue, person or thing. countable, uncountable

    "I would like to know your opinions on the new filing system."

  2. 2
    the reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the decision itself) wordnet
  3. 3
    The judgment or sentiment which the mind forms of persons or things; estimation. countable, uncountable

    "I haue bought / Golden Opinions from all ſorts of people, […]"

  4. 4
    a vague idea in which some confidence is placed wordnet
  5. 5
    Favorable estimation; hence, consideration; reputation; fame; public sentiment or esteem. countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "Thou haſt redeemed thy loſt opinion, […]"

Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty wordnet
  2. 7
    Obstinacy in holding to one's belief or impression; opiniativeness; conceitedness. countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "[…] your reaſons at Dinner haue been ſharpe & ſententious: pleaſant without ſcurillitie, wittie without affection, audatious without impudencie, learned without opinion, and ſtrange without hereſie: […]"

  3. 8
    a belief or sentiment shared by most people; the voice of the people wordnet
  4. 9
    The formal decision, or expression of views, of a judge, an umpire, a doctor, or other party officially called upon to consider and decide upon a matter or point submitted. countable, uncountable
  5. 10
    the legal document stating the reasons for a judicial decision wordnet
  6. 11
    A judicial opinion delivered by an Advocate General to the European Court of Justice where he or she proposes a legal solution to the cases for which the court is responsible. European-Union, countable, uncountable
  7. 12
    a message expressing a belief about something; the expression of a belief that is held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To have or express as an opinion. archaic, transitive

    "Philoſophers that opinioned the vvorlds deſtruction by fire, did never dreame of annihilation, vvhich is beyond the povver of ſublunary cauſes; for the laſt and proper action of that element [fire] is but vitrification, or a reduction of a body into Glaſſe, and therefore ſome of our Chymicks factiouſly affirme; yea, and urge Scripture for it, that at the laſt fire all ſhall be cryſtallized and reverberated into Glaſſe, vvhich is the utmoſt action of that element."

Synonyms

All synonyms
impressionpublic opinionsentimentadmonitionadviceadvising

Example

More examples

"An opinion is shocking only if it is a conviction."

Etymology

From English opine + -ion, from Middle English opinion, opinioun, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French opinion, from Latin opīniō, from opīnor (“to opine”). Displaced native Old English wēna.

Related phrases

accountant's opinionadverse opinionadvisory opinionbe of the opinionclean opinionconcurring opinioncourt of public opinioncourt of world opinioncourt opiniondifference of opiniondissenting opiniondivision of opinion

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.