Notion meaning: an idea held loosely in the mind

The senses of notion

A simple notion definition covers four related uses:

1. A belief or opinion: "the notion that breakfast is the most important meal". Often used when the speaker doubts it.
2. An understanding or awareness: "I have no notion of how the engine works." Here it means any idea at all.
3. A whim or sudden wish: "She got a notion to drive to the coast." Common in casual and regional speech.
4. Notions, plural (American English): small useful items sold for sewing, like pins, zips, needles and ribbons.

To define notion in one line: a thought held in the mind, usually not a carefully proven one.

Notion meaning in example sentences

• The old notion that left-handed children should be forced to write with the right hand has been dropped by schools.
• Grandma had no notion what a podcast was, but she listened to one anyway.
• He has some romantic notions about living on a farm.
• On a rainy afternoon I took a notion to bake bread for the first time.
• The fabric store keeps notions near the till, so you can grab thread while you pay.

Phrases built around notion

Notion versus idea, concept and opinion

• Idea is the broad, everyday word. Every notion is an idea, but "notion" often hints the idea is shaky or simple.
• Concept is more formal and exact, used for a defined idea in science or study: the concept of gravity. A notion is looser.
• Opinion is a personal view or judgement. A notion can be a belief about facts, not just taste.
• Impression is a feeling formed quickly, from looks or first meetings.

Words close to this group on our site include perception, hypothesis (an idea to be tested) and abstract.

A tone that often carries doubt

Writers often choose notion when they plan to challenge an idea. "The notion that money buys happiness" sets up an argument against it. Calling someone's plan "a funny notion" sounds a bit dismissive. Used neutrally, though, it is just a softer word for idea.

Origin of the word

Speakers of Middle English were using notion by the late fourteenth century, and its source was the Latin noun notio, a concept or idea, which comes from noscere, to get to know. The same root sits behind notice, notify and noble. The sense of a vague belief became common around 1600, and the whim sense had appeared by the middle of the 1700s. The American plural for sewing goods dates from the early 1800s, when travelling sellers carried such small handy items.

Notional: a related word worth knowing

The adjective notional means existing as an idea or estimate rather than in reality. In finance, a notional amount is the face value used to calculate payments in a contract, not money that changes hands. In everyday talk, "a notional deadline" is one that is only loosely fixed. More useful words are gathered in everyday vocabulary.