Opinion - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT opinion /əˈpɪnjən/ /əˈpɪnjən/ IPA guide

Other forms: opinions

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.

Definitions of opinion

noun a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty “my opinion differs from yours” synonyms: persuasion, reckoning, sentiment, thought, view see moresee less types: show 7 types... hide 7 types... idea a personal view judgement, judgment, mind an opinion formed by judging something eyes opinion or judgment parti pris, preconceived idea, preconceived notion, preconceived opinion, preconception, prepossession an opinion formed beforehand without adequate evidence pole one of two divergent or mutually exclusive opinions political sympathies, politics the opinion you hold with respect to political questions conclusion, decision, determination, verdict a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration type of: belief any cognitive content held as true
noun a belief or sentiment shared by most people; the voice of the people “he asked for a poll of public opinion” synonyms: popular opinion, public opinion, vox populi see moresee less type of: belief any cognitive content held as true
noun a vague idea in which some confidence is placed synonyms: belief, feeling, impression, notion see moresee less types: show 7 types... hide 7 types... presence the impression that something is present effect an impression (especially one that is artificial or contrived) first blush at the first glimpse or impression hunch, intuition, suspicion an impression that something might be the case sound effect an effect that imitates a sound called for in the script of a play special effect an effect used to produce scenes that cannot be achieved by normal techniques (especially on film) bosom, heart the locus of feelings and intuitions type of: idea, thought the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
noun 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 “his opinions appeared frequently on the editorial page” synonyms: view see moresee less types: show 4 types... hide 4 types... adverse opinion an opinion concerning financial statements (usually based on an audit by a CPA) that the statements as a whole do not present results fairly or are not in conformity with the generally accepted accounting practices of the United States conjecture, guess, hypothesis, speculation, supposition, surmisal, surmise a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence position, side an opinion that is held in opposition to another in an argument or dispute divination successful conjecture by unusual insight or good luck type of: content, message, subject matter, substance what a communication that is about something is about
noun the legal document stating the reasons for a judicial decision “opinions are usually written by a single judge” synonyms: judgement, judgment, legal opinion see moresee less types: show 5 types... hide 5 types... concurring opinion an opinion that agrees with the court's disposition of the case but is written to express a particular judge's reasoning dissenting opinion an opinion that disagrees with the court's disposition of the case majority opinion the opinion joined by a majority of the court (generally known simply as `the opinion') fatwah (Islam) a legal opinion or ruling issued by an Islamic scholar dictum, obiter dictum an opinion voiced by a judge on a point of law not directly bearing on the case in question and therefore not binding type of: instrument, legal document, legal instrument, official document (law) a document that states some contractual relationship or grants some right
noun the reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the decision itself) synonyms: ruling see moresee less examples: Bakke decision a ruling by the Supreme Court on affirmative action; the Court ruled in 1978 that medical schools are entitled to consider race as a factor in their admission policy types: fatwa a ruling on a point of Islamic law that is given by a recognized authority type of: judgement, judgment, judicial decision (law) the determination by a court of competent jurisdiction on matters submitted to it

Pronunciation US /əˈpɪnjən/ UK /əˈpɪnjən/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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