- a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty.
- 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.
- a favorable estimate; esteem: I haven't much of an opinion of him.
Origin of opinion
SynonymsSee more synonyms for opinion on Thesaurus.com
- judgment or belief not founded on certainty or proof
- the prevailing or popular feeling or viewpublic opinion
- evaluation, impression, or estimation of the value or worth of a person or thing
- an evaluation or judgment given by an experta 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 matter of opinion a point open to question
- be of the opinion that to believe that
Word Origin and History for pre-opinion
c.1300, from Old French opinion "opinion, view, judgements founded upon probabilities" (12c.), from Latin opinionem (nominative opinio) "opinion, conjecture, fancy, belief, what one thinks; appreciation, esteem," from stem of opinari "think, judge, suppose, opine," from PIE *op- "to choose" (see option).
Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making. [Milton, "Areopagitica"]
Idioms and Phrases with pre-opinion
see form an opinion; matter of opinion.