- opinion
- opinion, view, belief, conviction, persuasion, sentiment are comparable when they mean a more or less clearly formulated idea or judgment which one holds as true or valid.An opinion is a more or less carefully thought-out conclusion concerning something that is or may be questioned. The word not only does not exclude the suggestion of consideration of all the evidence and of arguments on both sides, but it sometimes implies such consideration{
seek an expert opinion on the authenticity of a painting
}{the word opinion . . . should be restricted to views entertained on subjects that admit of doubt and are open to controversy. . . . Matters that are not debatable are not open to opinion— Corry
}{the attending physician said he would like the opinion of a consulting physician
}However, the term more consistently suggests even in the preceding instances a personal element in the judgment, the possibility of its being in error, and the strong probability that it will be disputed{books . . . are a public expression of a man's opinions, and consequently they are submitted to the world for criticism— Benson
}{the tolerant but untrained . . . will rarely know the difference between their tastes and their opinions— Virgil Thomson
}A view is an opinion more or less colored by the feeling, sentiment, or bias of the individual{fond of airing his views in public
}{each member was asked to state his views on the proposed change in the constitution
}{must take the manly view, which is that the failure of the western democracies ... is due to the failings of the democratic peoples— Lippmann
}{in the fourth century . . . adopted the view that deceit and lying were virtues if in the interests of the Church— Co hen
}A belief differs from an opinion or view in that it is not necessarily formulated by the individual who holds it, but may have been proposed to him for acceptance (as in the form of a doctrine, a dogma, a proposition, or an authoritative opinion). The emphasis in belief is placed on intellectual assent or assurance of truth{the belief that the whole system of nature is calculable in terms of mathematics and mechanics— Inge
}{just one single example of real unreason is enough to shake our belief in everything— Theodore Sturgeon
}A conviction is a belief which one holds firmly and unshakably because one is undisturbed by doubt of its truth{if any one had asked him the reason of this conviction he could not have told them; but convictions do not imply reasons— Deland
}{the teacher should learn not to take sides, even if he or she has strong convictions— Russell
}{he had overlooked this fact, borne along on his conviction of the abundance of life— Cheever
}A persuasion is usually at once an opinion and a belief. The term often implies that one's assurance of its truth is induced by one's feelings or wishes, rather than by argument or evidence{it was the avowed opinion and persuasion of Callimachus . . . that Homer was very imperfectly understood even in his day— Cowper
}{his strong interest in good government and the proper solution of social problems threw him more and more toward the Democratic persuasion— Michener
}{those are my sentiments
}The term applies to a more or less settled opinion, often with reference to something which involves one's feelings or which is formulated so as to suggest the stimulus of emotion{there is no expression in the constitution, no sentiment delivered by its contemporaneous expounders, which would justify us— John Marshall
}{it is the actions of men and not their sentiments which make history— Mailer
}{he would inform Miss Graves of his sentiments and she would translate them into a polite and brief answer— Bemelmans
}
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
