Opinion

7 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Opinion \O*pin"ion\, n. [F., from L. opinio. See {Opine}.]
     1. That which is opined; a notion or conviction founded on
        probable evidence; belief stronger than impression, less
        strong than positive knowledge; settled judgment in regard
        to any point of knowledge or action.
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              Opinion is when the assent of the understanding is
              so far gained by evidence of probability, that it
              rather inclines to one persuasion than to another,
              yet not without a mixture of incertainty or
              doubting.                             --Sir M. Hale.
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              I can not put off my opinion so easily. --Shak.
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     2. The judgment or sentiment which the mind forms of persons
        or things; estimation.
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              I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of
              people.                               --Shak.
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              Friendship . . . gives a man a peculiar right and
              claim to the good opinion of his friend. --South.
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              However, I have no opinion of those things. --Bacon.
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     3. Favorable estimation; hence, consideration; reputation;
        fame; public sentiment or esteem. [Obs.]
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              Thou hast redeemed thy lost opinion.  --Shak.
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              This gained Agricola much opinion, who . . . had
              made such early progress into laborious . . .
              enterprises.                          --Milton.
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     4. Obstinacy in holding to one's belief or impression;
        opiniativeness; conceitedness. [Obs.] --Shak.
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     5. (Law.) The formal decision, or expression of views, of a
        judge, an umpire, a counselor, or other party officially
        called upon to consider and decide upon a matter or point
        submitted.
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     {To be of opinion}, to think; to judge.
  
     {To hold opinion with}, to agree with. [Obs.] --Shak.
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     Syn: Sentiment; notion; persuasion; idea; view; estimation.
          See {Sentiment}.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Opinion \O*pin"ion\, v. t.
     To opine. [Obs.]
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  opinion
       n 1: a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof
            or certainty; "my opinion differs from yours"; "what are
            your thoughts on Haiti?" [syn: {sentiment}, {persuasion},
             {view}, {thought}]
       2: a belief or sentiment shared by most people; the voice of
          the people; "he asked for a poll of public opinion" [syn:
          {public opinion}, {popular opinion}, {vox populi}]
       3: 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" [syn:
          {view}]
       4: the legal document stating the reasons for a judicial
          decision; "opinions are usually written by a single judge"
          [syn: {legal opinion}, {judgment}, {judgement}]
       5: the reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the
          decision itself) [syn: {ruling}]
       6: 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" [syn: {impression},
           {feeling}, {belief}, {notion}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  113 Moby Thesaurus words for "opinion":
     admonition, advice, advising, advocacy, affect, affectivity,
     analyzing, appraisal, appraisement, appraising, appreciation,
     apprehension, assessing, assessment, assumption, attitude, belief,
     brief, briefing, caution, caveat, climate of opinion,
     common belief, community sentiment, conceit, concept, conception,
     conclusion, conjecture, consensus gentium, consideration,
     consultation, conviction, council, counsel, direction, emotion,
     emotivity, estimate, estimation, ethos, evaluating, evaluation,
     evaluative criticism, exhortation, expostulation, eye, fancy,
     feeling, feeling tone, gauging, general belief, guidance,
     hortation, idea, image, imago, impression, instruction,
     intellectual object, judgement, judgment, lights, measurement,
     memory-trace, mental attitude, mental image, mental impression,
     mind, monition, mystique, notion, observation, parley, perception,
     personal judgment, persuasion, point of view, popular belief,
     position, posture, presumption, prevailing belief, proposal,
     psychology, public belief, public opinion, ranking, rating,
     reaction, recept, reckoning, recommendation, reflection,
     remonstrance, representation, sentiment, sight, speculation,
     stance, suggestion, supposition, theory, think, thinking, thought,
     valuation, valuing, view, viewpoint, warning, way of thinking,
     weighing
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  OPINION, evidence. An inference made, or conclusion drawn, by a witness from 
  facts known to him, 
       2. In general a witness cannot be asked his opinion upon a particular 
  question, for he is called to speak of facts only. But to this general rule 
  there are exceptions; where matters of skill and judgment are involved, a 
  person competent, particularly to understand such matters, may be asked his 
  opinion, and it will be evidence. 4 Hill, 129; 1 Denio, 281; 2 Scam. 297; 2 
  N. H. Rep. 480; 2 Story, R. 421; see 8 W. & S. 61; 1 McMullan, 561 For 
  example, an engineer may be called to say what, in his opinion, is the cause 
  that a harbor has teen blocked up. 3 Dougl. R. 158; S. C. 26 Eng. C. L. Rep. 
  63; 1 Phil. Ev. 276; 4 T. R. 498. A ship builder may be asked his opinion on 
  a question of sea-worthiness. Peake, N. P. C. 25; 10 Bing. R. 57; 25 Eng. 
  Com. Law Rep. 28. 
       3. Medical men are usually examined as to their judgment with regard to 
  the cause of a person's death, who has suffered by violence. Vide Death. Of 
  the sanity, 1 Addams, 244, or impotency, 3 Phillim. 14, of an individual. 
  Professional men are, however, confined to state facts and opinions within 
  the scope of their professions, and are not allowed to give opinions on 
  things of which the jury can as well judge. 5 Rogers' Rec. 26; 4 Wend. 320; 
  3 Fairf. 398; 3 Dana, 882; 1 Pennsyl. 161; 2 Halst. 244; 7 Vern. 161; 6 
  Rand. 704; 4 Yeates, 262; 9 Conn. 102; 3 N. H. Rep. 349; 5 H. & J. 488. 
       4. The unwritten or common law of foreign countries may be proved by 
  the opinion of witnesses possessing professional skill. Story's Confl. of 
  Laws, 530; 1 Cranch, 12, 38; 2 Cranch, 236; 6 Pet Rep. 763; Pet. C. C. R. 
  225; 2 Wash. C. C. R. 175; Id. 1; 5 Wend. Rep. 375; 2 Id. 411; 3 Pick. Rep. 
  293; 4 Conn. R. 517; 6 Conn: R. 486; 4 Bibb R. 73; 2 Marsh. Rep. 609; 5 
  Harr. & John. 86; 1 Johns. Rep. 385; 3 Johns. Rep. 105; 14 Mass., R. 455; 6 
  Conn. R. 508; 1 Vern. R. 336; 15 Serg. & Rawle, 87; 1, Louis. R. 153; 3 Id. 
  53; Cranch, 274. Vide also 14 Serg. & Rawle, 137; 3 N. Hamp. R. 349; 3 
  Yeates, 527; 1 Wheel. C. C. Rep. 205; 6 Rand. R. 704; 2 Russ. on Cr. 623; 4 
  Camp. R. 155; Russ. & Ry. 456; 2 Esp. C. 58; Foreign Laws; 3 Phillim. R. 
  449; 1 Eccl. R. 291. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  OPINION, practice. A declaration by a counsel to his client of what the law 
  is, according to his judgment, on a statement of facts submitted to him. The 
  paper upon which an opinion is written is, by a figure of speech, also 
  called an opinion. 
       2. The counsel should as far as practicable give, 1. A direct and 
  positive opinion, meeting the point and effect of the question and 
  separately, if the questions proposed were properly divisible into several. 
  2. The reasons, succinctly stated, in support of such opinion. 3. A 
  reference to the statute, rule or decision on the subject. 4. When the facts 
  are susceptible of a small difference in the statement, a suggestion of the 
  probability of such variation. 5. When some, important fact is stated as 
  resting principally on the statement of the party interested, a suggestion 
  ought to be made to inquire how that fact is to be proved. 6. A suggestion 
  of the proper process or pleadings to be adopted. 7. A suggestion of what 
  precautionary measures ought to be adopted. As to the value of an opinion, 
  see 4 Penn, St. R. 28. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  OPINION, judgment. A collection of reasons delivered by a judge for giving 
  the judgment he is about to pronounce the judgment itself is sometimes 
  called an opinion. 
       2. Such an opinion ought to be a perfect syllogism, the major of which 
  should be the law; the minor, the fact to be decided and the consequence, 
  the judgment which declares that to be conformable or contrary to law. 
       3. Opinions are judicial or extra-judicial; a judicial opinion is one 
  which is given on a matter which is legally brought before the judge for his 
  decision; an extra-judicial opinion, is one which although given in court, 
  is not necessary to the judgment. Vaughan, 382; 1 Hale's Hist. 141; and 
  whether given in or out of court, is no more than the prolatum of him who 
  gives it, and has no legal efficacy. 4 Penn. St. R. 28. Vide Reason.