opinion
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o·pin·ion
(ə-pĭn′yən)opinion
(əˈpɪnjən)o•pin•ion
(əˈpɪn yən)n.
Opinion
2. a heterodox view or belief.
Opinion
See Also: IDEAS
- As men grow older, their opinions, like their diseases, grow chronic —Josh Billings
In Billings’ original dialect: Az men gro older their opinuns like thier diseazes, grow kronick.
- Carried and opened this attitude like an umbrella —Delmore Schwartz
- Observations … are like children’s cradles … sometimes empty, sometimes full of noisy imbecility, and often lulling to sleep —Sydney Smith
Smith modestly applied this simile to his own observations.
- Of three minds, like a tree in which there are three blackbirds —Wallace Stevens
- Opinion gathered like a cloud and danced and then seemed to freeze —H. E. Bates
- Opinion is like a pendulum and obeys the same law. If it goes past the center of gravity on one side, it must go a like distance on the other —Arthur Schopenhauer
Schopenhauer continued his simile like this: “And it is only after a certain time that it finds the true point at which it can remain at rest.”
- Opinion polls: polls are like sleeping pills designed to lull the public into sleeping on election day. You might call them “sleeping polls” —Harry S. Truman
- Opinions, like showers, are generated in high places, but they invariably descend into lower ones, and ultimately flow down to the people, as rain unto the sea —Charles Caleb Colton
- Opinions, like the temperaments, fell rapidly into pre-established categories —Marguerite Yourcenar
- Opinions richocheted through the gathering like hyperactive pheromones —Susan Ferraro, New York Times/Hers, Feburary 19, 1987
- Opinions stout as oak —Phyllis McGinley
- Passed opinions like gas —Rita Mae Brown
- Played with our ideas like jacks, pressing our fingertips against their sharp points and round protuberances, testing how many we could scoop up at once —Lynne Sharon Schwartz
- Public opinion in this country runs like a shower bath. We have no temperature between hot and cold —Heywood Broun
Broun’s public opinion simile is amongst the best known witticisms born at the famed Algonquin Round Table.
- Sweeping judgments which are so common are meaningless … like men who salute a whole crowd of people in the mass —Michel De Montaigne
- The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind —William Blake
- The pressure of public opinion is like the pressure of the atmosphere; you can’t see it —but, all the same, it is sixteen pounds to the square inch —James R. Lowell, interview with Julian Hawthorne, New York Times, April 2, 1922
- The public buys its opinions as it buys its meat, or takes its milk, on the principle that it is cheaper to do this than to keep a cow. So it is, but the milk is more likely to be watered —Samuel Butler
- Tosses off insights like the spray from a speedboat —Anon comment about an author’s work
Like many such complimentary similes, this one was later featured in an ad for the work thus praised.
- To venture an opinion is like moving a piece at chess: it may be taken, but it forms the beginning of a game that is won —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
meaning
intention opinionThe meaning of a word, expression, or gesture is the thing or idea that it refers to or represents.
The meaning of what someone says is what they intend to express.
Don't use 'meaning' to refer to what someone intends to do. Don't say, for example, 'His meaning was to leave without paying'. Say 'His intention was to leave without paying'.
Don't use 'meaning' to refer to what someone thinks about something. Don't say, for example, 'I think he should go. What's your meaning?' You say 'I think he should go. What's your opinion?'
opinion
Your opinion of something is what you think about it.
When you want to show whose opinion you are giving, you can use an expression such as 'in my opinion', 'in Sarah's opinion', or 'in the opinion of the voters...'.
In formal speech or writing, people sometimes say 'It is my opinion that...' or 'It is our opinion that...'.
Be Careful!
Don't say 'To my opinion...' or 'According to my opinion...'.
point of view
view opinionWhen you are considering one aspect of a situation, you can say that you are considering it from a particular point of view.
A person's point of view is their general attitude to something, or the way they feel about something.
Don't refer to what someone thinks or believes about a particular subject as their 'point of view'. Refer to it as their view or opinion.
View is most commonly used in the plural.
You talk about someone's opinions or views on or about a subject.
You can use expressions such as in my opinion or in his view to show that something is an opinion, and may not be a fact.
Noun | 1. | opinion - a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty; "my opinion differs from yours"; "I am not of your persuasion"; "what are your thoughts on Haiti?" idea - a personal view; "he has an idea that we don't like him" judgment, judgement, mind - an opinion formed by judging something; "he was reluctant to make his judgment known"; "she changed her mind" belief - any cognitive content held as true eyes - opinion or judgment; "in the eyes of the law"; "I was wrong in her eyes" parti pris, preconceived idea, preconceived notion, preconceived opinion, preconception, prepossession - an opinion formed beforehand without adequate evidence; "he did not even try to confirm his preconceptions" pole - one of two divergent or mutually exclusive opinions; "they are at opposite poles"; "they are poles apart" political sympathies, politics - the opinion you hold with respect to political questions |
2. | opinion - 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" 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 speculation, supposition, surmisal, surmise, guess, conjecture, hypothesis - a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence | |
3. | opinion - a belief or sentiment shared by most people; the voice of the people; "he asked for a poll of public opinion" belief - any cognitive content held as true | |
4. | opinion - the legal document stating the reasons for a judicial decision; "opinions are usually written by a single judge" legal document, legal instrument, official document, instrument - (law) a document that states some contractual relationship or grants some right 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; "bin Laden issued three fatwahs calling upon Muslims to take up arms against the United States" 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 law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" | |
5. | opinion - the reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the decision itself) judicial decision, judgment, judgement - (law) the determination by a court of competent jurisdiction on matters submitted to it fatwa - a ruling on a point of Islamic law that is given by a recognized authority law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" | |
6. | opinion - a vague idea in which some confidence is placed; "his impression of her was favorable"; "what are your feelings about the crisis?"; "it strengthened my belief in his sincerity"; "I had a feeling that she was lying" idea, thought - the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about; "it was not a good idea"; "the thought never entered my mind" presence - the impression that something is present; "he felt the presence of an evil force" effect - an impression (especially one that is artificial or contrived); "he just did it for effect" first blush - at the first glimpse or impression; "at first blush the idea possesses considerable intuitive appeal but on closer examination it fails" |
opinion
"There are as many opinions as there are people; each has his own correct way" [Terence Phormio]
"New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common" [John Locke Essay concerning Human Understanding]
"A man can brave opinion, a woman must submit to it" [Mme de Staël Delphine]
"Where an opinion is general, it is usually correct" [Jane Austen Mansfield Park]
"A study of the history of opinion is a necessary preliminary to the emancipation of the mind" [John Maynard Keynes The End of Laissez-Faire]
"They that approve a private opinion, call it opinion; but they that mislike it, heresy; and yet heresy signifies no more than private opinion" [Thomas Hobbes Leviathan]
"Opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making" [John Milton Areopagitica]
opinion
nounopinion
[əˈpɪnjən]what's your opinion of him? → ¿qué opinas de él? → ¿qué opinión te merece?
what's your opinion of this book? → ¿qué opinas de este libro? → ¿qué opinión te merece este libro?
well, that's my opinion → por lo menos eso pienso yo
to ask sb's opinion (on or about sth) → pedir a algn su opinión or parecer (sobre or acerca de algo)
when I want your opinion I'll ask for it! → ¡cuando quiera saber tu opinión, te la pediré!
if you ask my opinion, he's hiding something → mi opinión es que está ocultando algo
there are differences of opinion as to what happened → hay discordancia or discrepancia de opiniones respecto a lo que pasó
to form an opinion of sth/sb → formarse una opinión sobre algo/algn
to have or hold an opinion on or about sth → tener una opinión sobre or acerca de algo
many people have very strong opinions about this → mucha gente tiene opiniones muy definidas sobre or acerca de esto
she held the opinion that → opinaba que ...
to have a high or good opinion of sth/sb → tener un alto concepto de algo/algn, tener muy buena opinión de algo/algn
to have a poor or low opinion of sth/sb → tener un bajo concepto de algo/algn, tener muy mala opinión de algo/algn
she has a very low opinion of herself → tiene un concepto muy bajo de sí misma
I haven't much of an opinion of him → no tengo un alto concepto de él → no tengo muy buena opinión de él
in my opinion → en mi opinión, a mi juicio
it's a matter of opinion → es cuestión de opiniones
to be of the opinion that → opinar que ...
we need an expert opinion → necesitamos la opinión de un experto
could you give us your professional opinion? → ¿nos puede dar su opinión (como) profesional?
to seek a second opinion → pedir una segunda opinión
he is in a position to influence opinion → está en una posición en la que puede ejercer influencia sobre las opiniones
medical opinion was divided over the case → la opinión médica estaba dividida con respecto al caso
they are trying to turn world opinion against the United States → están intentando poner al mundo entero en contra de Estados Unidos
see also consensus, public C
opinion
[əˈpɪnjən] n → opinion f, avis mHe asked me my opinion → Il m'a demandé mon avis.
I wasn't asking for your opinion → Je ne te demandais pas ton avis.
in my opinion → à mon avis
in his opinion → à son avis
what's your opinion? → qu'est-ce vous en pensez?
to express one's opinion → exprimer son avis
if you want my opinion → si vous voulez mon avis
a difference of opinion (= disagreement) → une différence d'opinion
opinion is divided → les avis sont partagés
to seek a second opinion → demander un deuxième avis
a favourable opinion of sb/sth → une opinion favorable de qn/qch
to have a high opinion of sb/sth → avoir une haute opinion de qn/qch
to have a high opinion of o.s. → avoir une haute opinion de soi
to be of the opinion that ... → être d'avis que ...
opinion
opinion
[əˈpɪnjən] n (belief, view) → opinione f, parere mpublic opinion → opinione pubblica
in my opinion → secondo me, a mio avviso
in the opinion of those who know → secondo gli esperti
it's a matter of opinion → è discutibile or opinabile
what is your opinion of him? → tu che cosa pensi di lui?
to be of the opinion that ... → essere dell'opinione che..., ritenere che...
to ask sb's opinion → chiedere il parere di qn, consultare qn
to give one's opinion → dare il proprio parere
to form an opinion of sb/sth → farsi un'opinione di qn/qc
to have a high/poor opinion of sb → avere/non avere un'alta opinione di qn, stimare molto/poco qn
to have a high opinion of o.s. (pej) → avere un'alta opinione di sé, credersi chissà chi
to seek a second opinion (Med) → consultare un altro medico