notionno‧tion /ˈnəʊʃən $ ˈnoʊ-/ ●●○ W3 AWL noun [countable] 
misguided notions of male superiority The traditional notion of marriage goes back thousands of years. She had only a vague notion of what she wanted to do.notion that the notion that human beings are basically good She had no notion what he meant.accept/challenge/reject etc a notion They reject the notion of group guilt.► see thesaurus at idea2notions [plural] American English small things such as thread and buttons that are used for sewingCOLLOCATIONSverbshave a notion· He didn’t have a clear notion of what he had to do.accept a notion· Probably 95% of scientists now accept the notion that human activity is causing climate change.support a notion· There is no evidence to support the notion that girls are treated better than boys in school.reinforce a notion (=make an idea stronger or easier to believe)· The research reinforces the notion that fathers have an important role in their children’s lives.challenge/dispute a notion· Copernicus challenged the notion that the Sun goes around the Earth.reject/dismiss a notion· Aristotle rejected the notion that the body and the soul are separate.adjectivesa vague notion (=an unclear idea)· He had only a vague notion of what might happen next.an absurd/ridiculous notion· They had the ridiculous notion that they could make a living from singing.a simple notion· You cannot rate the project according to a simple notion of ‘value for money’: there are too many factors involved.an abstract notion· In art, how can you represent abstract notions such as peace or justice?a romantic notion (=one that is based on how you want something to be, not how it is in real life)· He rejected the romantic notion of rugby as a game for gentlemen.a preconceived notion (=an idea that you have before you have enough knowledge or experience)· The police were accused of twisting the evidence to meet their preconceived notion of his guilt.an accepted/received notion (=an idea that most people believe)· These women challenged accepted notions of female roles in society.the whole notion of something (=used to emphasize that you are talking about a lot of related ideas, not just one specific idea)· The movie makes us question the whole notion of what makes a hero.phrasesnot have the faintest/foggiest notion (=not know or understand something at all)· He had not the foggiest notion how far he might have to walk.
WORD ORIGINnotion
Origin:
1300-1400 Latin notio, from notus; ➔ NOTICE2EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Humans still hold on to the absurd notion that we are the only intelligent beings in the Universe.
- Many widely-held notions about crime have come from the cinema, magazines, or novels.
- Modern society does not always correspond to classical notions of democracy.
- A decade ago, even the notion of Phoenix as big-time was laughable.
- An analogy can be drawn with the notion of mutations in genetics.
- Even some former skeptics said that probably 95 percent of experts now accept the notion.
- Home is a notion that only the nations of the homeless fully appreciate and only the uprooted comprehend.
- In the post-war period some democratic elitists detected a major flaw in this notion of bureaucratic rationality.
- The heart of the legal notion of partnership consists in the mutual trust and confidence of the participants.
- Though Centralism comes in many guises and applications, the basic notions that fuel it are remarkably consistent-as are the results.
THESAURUS
something that you think of, especially something that you could do or suggest: · I think that’s an excellent idea.· Let me know if you have any good ideas.
something that comes into your mind: · The thought had entered my mind that he might be lying.· It was a worrying thought.· She was lost in her thoughts.
the idea that you have in your mind about what someone or something is like: · What was your impression of him?
a good and original idea, which makes you think of doing or creating something: · Where did you get your inspiration from for the book?· He suddenly had a flash of inspiration.· The design for the house was entirely the inspiration of the architect.
British English, brainstorm American English a sudden new and clever idea, especially one that solves a problem: · I thought I’d have to sell the house, but then I had a brainwave.
an idea of how something is, or how something should be done: · Concepts of beauty are different in different cultures.· the traditional concept of marriage
an idea about life or society, especially one that is a little silly or old-fashioned: · There is no evidence to support the notion that poverty is caused by laziness.
Longman Language Activatoran idea or set of ideas that explains something an idea or set of ideas that is intended to explain something, especially in science: · This theory helps to explain how animals communicate with each other.theory that: · It's my theory that the murderer knew his victim quite well.· There's a theory that Kennedy was killed by the CIA.theory about: · There have been a lot of theories about the meaning of dreams.somebody's theory of something: · Darwin's Theory of Evolution· Einstein's theory of relativityeconomic/political etc theory: · Atkin taught political theory at Hunter College.
plural hypotheses formal an idea that is based on very few facts and that you cannot be sure is right: · Various hypotheses are possible regarding the nature and structure of the world.· The results of our experiment confirmed this hypothesis.
a statement or idea that you accept as being true and use as a base for developing other ideas: · American justice works on the premise that an accused person is innocent until they are proved guilty.· I believe his whole argument is based on a false premise.
a way of explaining something about life, society, etc: · Ideas and customs used to be passed on intact down the generations.· Do you agree generally with Marx's ideas?idea about: · medieval ideas about the origins of the universeidea that: · How old is the idea that there is life after death?idea of: · Ideas of how society should function have changed dramatically in the last 200 years.
a way of explaining something about life, society, etc, that people often think is a little stupid or old-fashioned: · Many widely-held notions about crime have come from the cinema, magazines, or novels.notion of: · Modern society does not always correspond to classical notions of democracy.a vague/absurd/fanciful etc notion: · Humans still hold on to the absurd notion that we are the only intelligent beings in the Universe.
someone's idea of how something is done, or how it should be done: · She thinks that marriage is an old-fashioned concept.concept of: · What's your concept of an ideal society?
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs romantic notions about becoming a famous actress Like many New Yorkers, he had a romantic image of country life.
1an idea, belief, or opinionnotion of· He didn’t have a clear notion of what he had to do.
· Probably 95% of scientists now accept the notion that human activity is causing climate change.
· There is no evidence to support the notion that girls are treated better than boys in school.
(=make an idea stronger or easier to believe)· The research reinforces the notion that fathers have an important role in their children’s lives.
· Copernicus challenged the notion that the Sun goes around the Earth.
· Aristotle rejected the notion that the body and the soul are separate.
adjectives (=an unclear idea)· He had only a vague notion of what might happen next.
· They had the ridiculous notion that they could make a living from singing.
· You cannot rate the project according to a simple notion of ‘value for money’: there are too many factors involved.
· In art, how can you represent abstract notions such as peace or justice?
(=one that is based on how you want something to be, not how it is in real life)· He rejected the romantic notion of rugby as a game for gentlemen.
(=an idea that you have before you have enough knowledge or experience)· The police were accused of twisting the evidence to meet their preconceived notion of his guilt.
(=an idea that most people believe)· These women challenged accepted notions of female roles in society.
(=used to emphasize that you are talking about a lot of related ideas, not just one specific idea)· The movie makes us question the whole notion of what makes a hero.
phrases (=not know or understand something at all)· He had not the foggiest notion how far he might have to walk.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES formal (=idea)· The Minister dismissed the notion that he had cut petrol tax because of the forthcoming by-election.
romantic notions about becoming a famous actress Like many New Yorkers, he had a romantic image of country life.· The students only had a vague idea of what they were supposed to do.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· In general terms, notions of selfhood came under review.· Like the Confucians, the Taoists reinterpreted for their own use the general notions of yin, yang, and tao.
· But I'd had my suspicions and didn't share his romantic notion of a farewell from anonymous royalty.· Of course, it takes a lot more than a romantic notion to open and sustain a successful restaurant.· De Gaulle's romantic notions were balanced by a harsh realism.· It is a gut-level response, based on romantic notions about college sports.· His romantic notions of Oscar Wilde are fully acted out while he stays in this condition.· That romantic notion held sway over me, and probably delayed my perception of Clarisa as some one with a medical problem.· There is, however, a refusal of the Romantic notion of an ultimate resolution of culture.· However, there is the problem of the romantic notion of pure art devoid of social responsibility.
· Therefore many traditional notions about rural decline have to be modified to take account of the remarkable turn-around in demographic trends.· This new age of anonymity and adopted identity portends great impact on our traditional notions of discourse and protected speech.· On the substance of a Bill of Rights: yours goes further than traditional notions.· It is hard to discard traditional notions of what young people need to succeed in the economy.· Is it time, therefore, to abandon the traditional notion of ownership by, and accountability to, shareholders alone?· Woman-centred psychology is affected by the traditional psychological notion that women's femininity rests on their bodies.· Recently the life habits of the giants have been looked at in a way that disproves most of these traditional notions.
· It's a vague enough notion, that something unauthorized was then loaded under cover of the dark.· Most of us maintain vague notions of justice, but its precise meaning escapes us until we are deprived of it.· She had no paper qualifications, no special skills and only a vague notion that she wanted to work with children.· He must have harbored the vague notion that I could reassure him.· In which case a researcher's task is to translate this rather abstract and vague notion into some operational form.· Gradually vague notions of a career in journalism were forming in my head.· He finds himself evaluated by the correspondingly vague notion of competence.· At least the first time, she'd only a vague notion of what might lie ahead.
· Not only is space one, but the very notion that there might be different, unconnected, spaces is really unintelligible.· Furthermore, the very notion of self-determination implies the need to exclude any outside pressure on a country.· They intrude into our personal relationships, govern our patterns of consumption, inform our very notion of human worth.· The very notion, however, ran counter to the sodden, melancholy, and yet enduring spirit of the Reach.· A hint she had been blind to because the very notion of suicide was so antithetical to her own nature.· Indeed, the very notion of student access implies curricular foundations.· Steiner's ludicrous generalizations stem inpart from the very notion of defining cultures and history in terms of a sensibility.· I shall suggest that there is a sense in which the very notion of a homosexual sensibility is a contradiction in terms.
· The whole plastic notion of a pop star begins to ring the bells of truth.· But what about the whole notion of for ever?· Now the company is taking the whole notion one step further, embracing Internet technology both internally and for its client services.· But in classrooms and schools that start with student interest, the whole notion of coverage changes.· Moreover the whole notion of testing employees is an invasion of privacy.· That turns the whole notion of authority, and accountability, on its head.· Such an approach can bring the whole notion of assessment into disrepute, as well as misunderstand particular individuals.· To him, the whole notion would have been cruel, to turn such matters over to the rank and file.
VERB· Dalzell, however, simply did not accept this notion, at least not in a federal habeas hearing.· Even some former skeptics said that probably 95 percent of experts now accept the notion.· The Mass-Observation reports of 1942 and 1944 indicate one group of well informed people who accepted this notion of intelligence.· Burke will not accept the notion that taste is some separate faculty of the mind, some sixth, intuitive sense.
· The household All present housing policy is based on the notion of the household.· It is based on the notion that a physically powerful person is likely to be a dummy.· The approach was based on notions of co-ordination and co-operation.· It is a gut-level response, based on romantic notions about college sports.· This omission, which now seems curious, was based upon the conventional notion of the organism as respondent.· But such objections are based on a distorted notion of organizational success and how it is achieved.· The claim is based presumably on the notion that the new charging system will be simpler.· In general, the hierarchy of prestige based on notions of ritual purity was mirrored by the hierarchy of power.
· From time to time evidence appears which challenges received notions of the truth.· Advanced computers are even beginning to challenge long-held notions about intelligence and thought.· This finding challenges the notion that carbohydrate malabsorption is uncommon in patients with chronic pancreatitis.· Beyond these formal structures, the folks at Thayer challenge yet one more notion that often shapes the structures of schooling.· Anti-debt campaigners in the South are urging their counterparts in the North to challenge the official notion of poverty reduction.· But lately some researchers are challenging the notion that memory loss is inevitable.· Here he challenges the notion that practice is activity and not thought.· Some challenge the notion of corporate culture as the primary culprit.
· Novick dismisses this notion without difficulty: the plan was considered, and found to be impractical.· There are some who dismiss the notion that results from the East will have much effect on California.· Regretfully, Gwendolen dismissed the notion.· Horton dismisses any notion that his students are being bribed to stay in school.· After initially reading the manuscript, David Kaczynski said he dismissed the notion that his brother was the Unabomber.· Florin dismissed any notion of martial law-like conditions prevailing.· Such accounts dismiss any notion of reproduction and treat consumption as wholly, as opposed to relatively, autonomous.
· On 18 January 1956 the Committee's Joint Declaration rejected the notion that integration should be confined to only six countries.· First, he rejected the notion that males were indispensable to the rearing of young.· And we reject Labour's job-destroying notion of a national minimum wage.· The group approach explicitly rejects the notion that a small elite dominates the resource allocation process.· But she rejected the notion as he leaned back against the cushions and took a quick swig of his brandy.· For a moment I considered, but immediately rejected, the notion of leaving Hsu Fu or calling off the expedition.· It usually rejects the notion of a social system.· But Gilligan does not, in fact, reject the notion of a rights-based morality.
· Sadly, there seems little reason to support the notion.· More support for that notion came in a separate report today from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank.· Indeed, the decoration of these mosaics exhibits a consistency which supports such a notion.· Clinton said the underlying logic supports the notion that presidents are at least entitled to a temporary deferral of private litigation.· This observation supports the notion that early, careful attention to the patient's psychosocial concerns is effective and has lasting benefit.· Sales of chess software would tend to support that notion.· The holding of regular consultative meetings between heads of parliaments was supported as a compromise notion.
misguided notions of male superiority The traditional notion of marriage goes back thousands of years. She had only a vague notion of what she wanted to do.notion that the notion that human beings are basically good She had no notion what he meant.accept/challenge/reject etc a notion They reject the notion of group guilt.► see thesaurus at idea2notions [plural] American English small things such as thread and buttons that are used for sewingCOLLOCATIONSverbshave a notion· He didn’t have a clear notion of what he had to do.accept a notion· Probably 95% of scientists now accept the notion that human activity is causing climate change.support a notion· There is no evidence to support the notion that girls are treated better than boys in school.reinforce a notion (=make an idea stronger or easier to believe)· The research reinforces the notion that fathers have an important role in their children’s lives.challenge/dispute a notion· Copernicus challenged the notion that the Sun goes around the Earth.reject/dismiss a notion· Aristotle rejected the notion that the body and the soul are separate.adjectivesa vague notion (=an unclear idea)· He had only a vague notion of what might happen next.an absurd/ridiculous notion· They had the ridiculous notion that they could make a living from singing.a simple notion· You cannot rate the project according to a simple notion of ‘value for money’: there are too many factors involved.an abstract notion· In art, how can you represent abstract notions such as peace or justice?a romantic notion (=one that is based on how you want something to be, not how it is in real life)· He rejected the romantic notion of rugby as a game for gentlemen.a preconceived notion (=an idea that you have before you have enough knowledge or experience)· The police were accused of twisting the evidence to meet their preconceived notion of his guilt.an accepted/received notion (=an idea that most people believe)· These women challenged accepted notions of female roles in society.the whole notion of something (=used to emphasize that you are talking about a lot of related ideas, not just one specific idea)· The movie makes us question the whole notion of what makes a hero.phrasesnot have the faintest/foggiest notion (=not know or understand something at all)· He had not the foggiest notion how far he might have to walk.