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

The music never explores the pain of Old Erich’s survivor guilt, and the tidy conclusion, with the present-day family reconciled and a final, full-cast chorus opining about the importance of remembering, feels entirely predictable. — Heidi Waleson, WSJ, "‘Taking Up Serpents’ and ‘Dear Erich’ Reviews: Operas Haunted by the Past," 15 Jan. 2019 Her tweet Wednesday that taunted Hogg for failing to get into four colleges (he was accepted by three others) was one more way for Ingraham to signal that Hogg is overrated and unqualified to opine about public policy. — Callum Borchers, Washington Post, "Laura Ingraham doesn’t really want to debate David Hogg," 30 Mar. 2018 Several more central bankers will have a chance to opine on the phenomenon this week, including incoming New York Fed President John Williams, while the nominee for Fed vice chairman, Richard Clarida, will face Congress. — Tory Newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Trump risks dealmaker rep with ZTE reversal," 14 May 2018 Rosenstein has opined publicly that the Justice Department cannot essentially open its files to Congress. — Matt Zapotosky, Washington Post, "‘A little steel in the spine’: Rod Rosenstein, facing mounting criticism from Congress, is starting to fight back," 7 July 2018 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

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.