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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

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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 Moten provides the ontological frame that haunts much of the preceding work: the notion that Blackness is not a category within being but a rupture of it. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 17 July 2025 But investors haven’t yet reacted forcefully enough to the notion that Trump will be able to fire, or bully Powell out of a job. Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 17 July 2025 That spacecraft jettisoned a small camera on its way to the Red Planet to deliver an epic deep-space selfie, raising the notion that Tianwen 2 could perform a similar act at some point during its own voyage. Andrew Jones, Space.com, 17 July 2025 That latter idea flows from a notion that if rescissions are proposed late in the fiscal year and Congress does not have the full 45-day period to act on any such proposals, the funds expire and become unavailable for obligation. Doug Criscitello, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for notion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for notion
Noun
  • Yet, how can true agility be achieved when the very tools and platforms meant to empower us simultaneously bind us to the whims of a select few?
    Rajat Bhargava, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
  • The health and safety of our communities should not hang on the whim of a political ideologue.
    Jesse Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • Some examples might include: Faith – Avoiding investments in companies that conflict with your beliefs.
    James Brewer, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • Manning spoke out about Williams and shared his belief that Johnson will be exactly what the doctor ordered for the young quarterback.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • What does the heat index chart look like? To get an idea of how air temperatures and humidity levels produce apparent temperatures, here is the NWS' heat index chart.
    Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 23 July 2025
  • Send ideas and tips to [email protected].
    Arlyssa D. Becenti, AZCentral.com, 23 July 2025
Noun
  • The news division is, like its counterparts, experimenting with a bevy of concepts to see which ones strike a chord with the younger viewers who use streaming as their primary means of watching video.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 14 July 2025
  • For his new concept revitalizing the former Nash & Proper space, Jimenez is taking inspiration from popular fast food chains such as In-N-Out and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, which have compact menus with high-quality ingredients.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • This could have swayed people on social media, but that doesn’t normally impact fighter’s opinions.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
  • Another envelope would follow with the state’s response, then another with the court’s opinion.
    Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 20 July 2025
Noun
  • Wang — who was born in Shanghai and grew up in the small town of Northfield, Minn., before moving on to college at New York University — is still humbled by the thought of how many people auditioned for the role.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • To no surprise, viewers swarmed the TikTok video's comment section with their thoughts.
    Skyler Caruso, People.com, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • As usual, Stewart’s stunt backfired, inverting free-speech and racial stereotypes.
    Armond White, National Review, 25 July 2025
  • No racist stereotypes, no demeaning facial expressions, no bowed heads, and no broken bodies from the old Hollywood.
    David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
Noun
  • Moreover, Kremlin insiders suspect that the 50-day window before any new US sanctions hit is plenty of time for their military push in Ukraine to pay off – or, failing that, for a notoriously changeable President Trump to change his mind on Russia once again.
    Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 15 July 2025
  • First, keep in mind that AGI and ASI will have been data trained by the vast stores of human writing.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Notion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/notion. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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