Definition of OPINED

Did You Know?

Opine has been around since the 15th century, and while it certainly is not a rare word today, not everyone is inclined to take it seriously. Commentators have described it as a stilted word, appropriate only in facetious use - and it does have an undeniable tendency to turn up in humorous writing. Recent evidence, however, suggests that it is being used in perfectly respectable contexts more often. It typically serves to emphasize that the opinion being reported is just that - an opinion. The etymology of opine is perfectly respectable, too. The term derives from the Middle French opiner ("to express one's opinion") and the Latin opinari, meaning "to have an opinion or "to think."

Examples of opine in a Sentence

Many people opine that the content of Web pages should be better regulated. You can opine about any subject you like.

Recent Examples on the Web

Since there are many unanswered questions and limited additional evidence available for evaluation, it is opined by this Medical Examiner that the manner of death should be left as undetermined. — Eleanor Hildebrandt, Popular Mechanics, "The True Story of the Lost Sci-Fi Movie "Brainstorm," Natalie Wood’s Last Film," 21 Dec. 2018 That's right at the price point that Ars' own Peter Bright opined makes Chromebooks a real threat to Microsoft. — Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, "HP’s x360 14 Chromebook is a big change from last year’s model," 9 Oct. 2018 Manny Machado is definitely on the Phillies’ radar, and our Bob Brookover opines that now, not next winter, is the time to pursue the Orioles star shortstop. — Scott Lauber, Philly.com, "As Phillies win again, why 'Bullpen by Gabe' might actually work | Extra Innings," 18 May 2018 Now, in an interview with The Huffington Post, Coster-Waldau opined on filming the final season of the show, which will air sometime next year, and weighed in on fan theories on how the show will end. — Megan Friedman, Harper's BAZAAR, "Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Says the Ending of Game of Thrones Is ‘Very Satisfying’," 30 Aug. 2018 Whether or not his critique has merit, Mr. Trump was wrong to opine publicly on Britain’s bilateral negotiation with the European Union, which is none of his business. — F.h. Buckley, WSJ, "Trump Fans, Acknowledge His Failings," 18 July 2018 The presidential appointment reunites Trump with Shine, who gave the then-businessman and reality TV star copious airtime on Fox to opine on a range of subjects. — Paul Farhi And Felicia Sonmez, chicagotribune.com, "Former Fox News executive Bill Shine joins Trump White House as deputy chief of staff for communications," 5 July 2018 Notably, Weiss declined to opine on whether Colangelo was aware of his wife moonlighting as a social media harasser. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Could Bryan Colangelo Still Face Legal Consequences After Parting Ways With 76ers?," 7 June 2018 Feminists have been anticipating the arrival of a fourth wave since at least 1986, when a letter writer to the Wilson Quarterly opined that the fourth wave was already building. — Constance Grady, Vox, "The waves of feminism, and why people keep fighting over them, explained," 1 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'opine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.