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We are not opining—that is, expressing our opinion—when we say that opine is not a back-formation of opinion, though the two words do share a common ancestry. A back-formation is a word formed by the subtraction of part of an existing word; for instance, the verb bartend is a back-formation of the noun bartender. Opine and opinion, however, both entered English independently, taking different routes from their mutual roots in the Latin verb opīnārī, meaning “to have in mind” or “to think.” Opinion arrived in the 14th century, while opine followed about a century later.
Examples of opine in a Sentence
John Werner, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
Instead, the presentation devoted its precious time to other matters … like CNN CEO Mark Thompson heralding the arrival of a new weather app and Tony Shalhoub (God bless him) opining for minutes on the universality of bread.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
In an attempt to do a non-political set for the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, Miss Eggy opined on jicama.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
Loeb also opined on the recent market turmoil triggered by Trump.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for opine
Cite this Entry
“Opine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opine. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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