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notion

/ˈnoʊʃn//ˈnəʊʃn/·noun
an idea, belief, or vague impression of something
Fig. 1 — Five blurred shapes drift across their own slow paths, adding up to nothing in particular.
01Definition

A notion is an idea held in the mind — sometimes a full belief, sometimes only a hazy impression. The word is flexible: philosophers discuss the notion of justice quite seriously, while everyday speech uses it for half-formed thoughts ('I had a vague notion of becoming a pilot'). It often appears with a skeptical edge: to 'reject the notion that…' is a standard way of dismissing an idea as mistaken or naive.

02In use
  • iHe firmly rejected the notion that success is simply a matter of luck.
  • iiThe notion of a four-day week has moved from the fringe to something economists consider plausible.
  • iiiShe had only a vague notion of the work — nothing tangible enough to plan around.
03Collocations
  • reject the notion that
  • challenge the notion
  • a vague notion
  • the notion of
  • dispel the notion

Family notional (adjective) · notionally (adverb)

04Relations

=idea, concept, belief, impression, conception

≠certainty, established fact

06TOEFL & IELTS

A high-frequency academic noun in both exams, usually in argument structures: authors 'challenge', 'dismiss', or 'support the notion that…'. Spotting these verbs around 'notion' tells you the writer's stance — gold for TOEFL rhetorical-purpose questions and IELTS Yes/No/Not Given items. In your own essays, 'the notion that X' is a clean way to introduce a view before agreeing or refuting.

07Asked
Is a notion weaker than an idea or a concept?
Rank them by how worked-out they are. A concept has been built: defined, bounded, ready to teach ('the concept of supply and demand'). An idea is the neutral middle. A notion is the least finished — an impression that may not survive analysis, which is why dictionaries note its whiff of whim. You develop a concept, have an idea, and merely entertain a notion.
Why are sewing supplies called notions?
Nineteenth-century American shopkeeping: 'Yankee notions' were the small clever wares peddlers carried — buttons, pins, thread, ribbon — ingenious little ideas turned into goods. The name stuck, and fabric stores still keep a notions aisle for small sewing accessories. It is the same word: an inventive thought, shrunk to something that fits in a tin.
What does 'having notions' mean in Ireland?
In Irish English, having notions is getting ideas above your station — an accusation of self-importance ('she has notions since the promotion'). Its cousin 'I haven't a notion' means 'no idea', and 'no notion of doing it' means no intention. Both grew from the standard sense of a lightly held idea; Irish usage just sharpened it into social commentary.
Why do writers say 'reject the notion' rather than 'reject the idea'?
Because notion arrives pre-weakened. Usage notes record that a notion suggests an idea not much examined — closer to a hunch than a thesis — so calling a claim a notion already tilts the sentence against it. The scene above stages that fragility: the outline exists only as long as nothing tries to close a ring around it.