notion

noun

no·​tion ˈnō-shən How to pronounce notion (audio)
1
a(1)
: an individual's conception or impression of something known, experienced, or imagined
They had different notions of right and wrong.
(2)
: an inclusive general concept
arriving at the notion of lawIrving Babbitt
(3)
: a theory or belief held by a person or group
the notion of original sin
b
: a personal inclination : whim
He had a notion to try skydiving.
2
obsolete : mind, intellect
3
notions plural : small useful items : sundries
found the thread she wanted among the shop's notions
Choose the Right Synonym for notion

idea, concept, conception, thought, notion, impression mean what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan).

idea may apply to a mental image or formulation of something seen or known or imagined, to a pure abstraction, or to something assumed or vaguely sensed.

innovative ideas
my idea of paradise

concept may apply to the idea formed by consideration of instances of a species or genus or, more broadly, to any idea of what a thing ought to be.

a society with no concept of private property

conception is often interchangeable with concept; it may stress the process of imagining or formulating rather than the result.

our changing conception of what constitutes art

thought is likely to suggest the result of reflecting, reasoning, or meditating rather than of imagining.

commit your thoughts to paper

notion suggests an idea not much resolved by analysis or reflection and may suggest the capricious or accidental.

you have the oddest notions

impression applies to an idea or notion resulting immediately from some stimulation of the senses.

the first impression is of soaring height

Examples of notion in a Sentence

He has some pretty strange notions. She had a vague notion about what happened. The study disproves any notion that dolphins are not intelligent. She had a notion to try skydiving. a sewing shop that sells fabrics, books, tools, and notions
Recent Examples on the Web The star is the youngest of the top 10 names on the 2023 list, disabusing the notion that there are no replacements for the actors who can open a movie around the globe but who are now in their 50s, 60s and 70s (Dwayne Johnson, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hanks) or 80s (Harrison Ford). Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024 Meetings, once routinely held in the San Francisco Bay Area, have expanded to other places such as Bergen, Galicia, and Tokyo, as if to resist the notion that the tech industry can be metonymized by Silicon Valley. Sheon Han, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024 Garvey’s campaign dismissed the notion that he has not been publicly engaged and that Schiff’s messaging helped the Republican’s candidacy. Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 An ‘aggressive and innovative’ approach Prosecutors over the past few years have been slowly, but steadily, expanding the notion of who can be held accountable for a mass shooting, said CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor. Celina Tebor, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 The notion of a sickness or infection seemed to explain better than anything else my unexpected pining for fire. M. R. O’Connor, The New Yorker, 29 Feb. 2024 So the notion that she might be dragged by a car was just completely horrifying to me. Laura Kwerel, NPR, 27 Feb. 2024 Filmmakers as different as Albert Brooks (in 1996) and Darren Aronofsky (in 2017) have used movies to explore the notion of the matriarch as creator-underminer-destroyer. Mark Harris Keita Morimoto, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 The notion then is to develop a kind of technology that underlies conversations. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'notion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin notion-, notio, from noscere

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(2)

Time Traveler
The first known use of notion was in 1531

Dictionary Entries Near notion

Cite this Entry

“Notion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notion. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

notion

noun
no·​tion ˈnō-shən How to pronounce notion (audio)
1
a
: idea sense 2, conception
have a notion of a poem's meaning
b
: a belief held : opinion
c
: a sudden wish or desire : whim
just had a notion to go home
2
plural : small useful articles (as pins, needles, or thread)

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