This is my first post ever. I am currently working hard on expending my English vocabulary as well as my spelling abilities.
There is a word that is causing me trouble at this time. The word is notion.
I would like to know what is the distinction between the following words:
- notion,
- idea,
- belief,
- and conception
Some people say notion means a loose concept or a loose idea. I mainly use the Oxford dictionary.Here are some definitions and examples from the oxford dictionary of English.
Origin: Late Middle English: from Latin notio(n-) 'idea', from notus
'known', past participle of noscere.There are 3 definition for notion;nevertheless, I am concerned with
merely one of them.def1: (noun) conception of or belief about something: children have
different notions about the roles of their parents. I had no notion of
what her words meant.for the above example, I feel that I could say: I had no idea of what her words meant. The meaning would be the same, right?
example 1: Though the concept of beauty is timeless, notions of what
constitutes the perfect physical form have changed over time.I feel that I don't understand the use of "notion" in this sentence.
example 2: There are different notions of what public opinion is.
This could be replaced with 'idea' or 'belief' or 'conception' right ?
example 3: Chinese people seem to have more affection for, and put
more belief in, Western notions and practices.This looks like an example I would use. I feel that I would have replaced notions with concepts or ideas.
Here are definition of the other words I am comparing notions to.
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/idea
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/belief
Merriam Webster definition for conception is "an idea or opinion"
full definition:
- an individual's conception or impression of something known, experienced, or imagined
- an inclusive general concept
- a theory or belief held by a person or group
So opinion and impression is part of the merriam webster's definition.
The contexts in which I will use this word, I think is for everyday talk. I do work a customer service job where I troubleshoot mobile phones. I do want to write sociology and philosophy papers.
Best Answer
Synonym Discussion of IDEA
(a direct quote from Merriam-Webster dictionary)
Idea, concept, conception, thought, notion, and impression mean what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan).
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"
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"
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"
Thought is likely to suggest the result of reflecting, reasoning, or meditating rather than of imagining:
"commit your thoughts to paper"
Notion suggests an idea not much resolved by analysis or reflection and may suggest the capricious or accidental:
"you have the oddest notions"
Impression applies to an idea or notion resulting immediately from some stimulation of the senses:
"the first impression is of soaring height"