NOTION Synonyms: 146 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'notion' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of notion are conception , concept , idea , impression , and thought . While all these words mean "what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan)," notion suggests an idea not much resolved by analysis or reflection and may suggest the capricious or accidental. // you have the oddest notions

Q: When is 'concept' a more appropriate choice than 'notion'?

The words concept and notion can be used in similar contexts, but 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

Q: How do 'conception' and 'concept' relate to one another, in the sense of 'notion'?

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

Q: When might 'idea' be a better fit than 'notion'?

While in some cases nearly identical to notion , 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

Q: Where would 'impression' be a reasonable alternative to 'notion'?

The words impression and notion are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impression applies to an idea or notion resulting immediately from some stimulation of the senses. // the first impression is of soaring height

Q: When can 'thought' be used instead of 'notion'?

In some situations, the words thought and notion are roughly equivalent. However, thought is likely to suggest the result of reflecting, reasoning, or meditating rather than of imagining. // commit your thoughts to paper

notion

noun

ˈnō-shən

Definition of notion

as in novelties

notions plural small useful items the fabric store had a wide variety of thread, pins, buttons, and other notions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in whim

a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action I have a notion to go in-line skating this afternoon

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in belief

an idea that is believed to be true or valid without positive knowledge has this naive notion that most people are basically honest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fact
truth

as in idea

something imagined or pictured in the mind that modernistic building does not match my notion of what a country cottage should look like

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in concept

an idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation the popular notion that college athletes are airheads

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun notion contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of notion are conception, concept, idea, impression, and thought. While all these words mean "what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan)," notion suggests an idea not much resolved by analysis or reflection and may suggest the capricious or accidental.

you have the oddest notions

When is concept a more appropriate choice than notion?

The words concept and notion can be used in similar contexts, but 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

How do conception and concept relate to one another, in the sense of notion?

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

When might idea be a better fit than notion?

While in some cases nearly identical to notion, 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

Where would impression be a reasonable alternative to notion?

The words impression and notion are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impression applies to an idea or notion resulting immediately from some stimulation of the senses.

the first impression is of soaring height

When can thought be used instead of notion?

In some situations, the words thought and notion are roughly equivalent. However, thought is likely to suggest the result of reflecting, reasoning, or meditating rather than of imagining.

commit your thoughts to paper

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of notion Indeed, how this film plays with Japan’s atomic grievances, tapping into a generation’s latent rage and the notion that opportunity is just tragedy that has shed its skin, feels like a culmination of 30-plus years of storytelling with the character. — Zachary Lee, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2026 Batteries are heavy, and the old rule about an object in motion tending to stay in motion makes the notion of nimble cornering a difficult engineering problem. — Roberto Baldwin, ArsTechnica, 5 Nov. 2026 Analysts at Lightshed Partners and MoffettNathanson quickly questioned that notion, pointing to existing contractual clauses that would impede, if not ban, any such workaround. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026 And the Labor Party leader unequivocally rejected the notion of forming a national unity government with Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud. — Ilan Ben Zion, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for notion

Recent Examples of Synonyms for notion

Noun

Geneva Watch Days ran ahead like clockwork from September 2 to 6, with at least a dozen novelties introduced across the five-day affair.

— Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2026
Founded in 2019, Whatnot built its audience on novelties and collectibles.

— Ryan Baker, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of novelties

Noun

Critically, this legislation should protect allies from the whims of future presidents.

— THEODORE BUNZEL, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2026
Shaw’s witty drawing-room debates also warn of a society indulging its whims as catastrophe approaches — a question of how to live when the world careens toward darkness.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of whim

Noun

Tschurtschenthaler and Beetz said this was partly in response to a belief the market is becoming increasingly commercial just as the film festivals that have traditionally underpinned their business model chase artistic movies.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026
The Islamophobic baiting scams identified by researchers operate in the overlapping spheres of right-wing politics, cryptocurrency and conspiratorial belief.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of belief

Noun

Members of the Democratic and Republican parties say the country and political system are better off when candidates and their ideas are tested.

— Karen Tumulty, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
The modular laptop display system is not an entirely new idea, and there are some existing products on the market that offer detachable portable screens.

— Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of idea

Noun

That gave the company confidence that a GS3 based on composite tanks was a concept that could go forward, and now the company is aiming for a debut in 2028 for a government customer.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026
Insurance companies design products like annuities around the concept of risk pooling in order to remain profitable.

— Jeff Stevenson, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of concept

Noun

The realm of authorship in the opinion section has also always been a bit dubious.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026
Two Columbia University Apartheid Divest activists, bemoaning their opposition, coauthored a June 2024 opinion article signaling overlap with the police abolition movement.

— Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Nov. 2026

Definition of opinion

Noun

Their room was only a hundred and forty square feet, but Trombecky thought of the Odyssey’s two restaurants as her dining room and the ship’s library as a living room.

— Shayla Love, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
Our thoughts are with those affected directly by this incident.

— Tristan Maglunog, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of thought

Noun

In Liu’s view, the pirate leader defies nearly every stereotype historically placed on Asian women in storytelling.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Nov. 2026
The artist’s best work, in a new retrospective at the Whitney Museum, directs his campy humor at gender stereotypes.

— Hilton Als, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of stereotype

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noting

notion

notional

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Style

“Notion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/notion. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of notion

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