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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
ArsTechnica, 2 July 2025
The movie starring Myers was widely panned by critics and audiences, with many opining that the cat character came off as creepy.
—Mark Gray, People.com, 1 July 2025
Just last week, Denver president and governor Josh Kroenke was highlighting the dangers that come with this salary-cap system and opined — unsolicited, mind you — about a nightmare scenario in which the Nuggets might one day be forced to trade three-time MVP Nikola Jokić.
—Sam Amick, New York Times, 30 June 2025
Yeary opined the law is going after the wrong people — the low-level drug runners who are addicts themselves, instead of suppliers or people higher up in the chain.
—Sarah Nelson, IndyStar, 4 June 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 10 Jul. 2025.
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