idea

noun

1)

the idea of death scares her

Syn:

concept, notion, conception, thought; image, visualization; hypothesis, postulation

2)

our idea is to open a new shop

Syn:

plan, scheme, design, proposal, proposition, suggestion, brainchild, vision; aim, intention, purpose, objective, object, goal, target

3)

Liz had other ideas on the subject

Syn:

thought, theory, view, opinion, feeling, belief, attitude, conclusion; informal take

4)

I had an idea that it might happen

Syn:

sense, feeling, suspicion, inkling, hunch, clue, theory, notion, impression; dated fancy

5)

I get the idea

Syn:

meaning, significance, sense, import, essence, gist, drift; point, aim, intention, purport, implication; design, motive

6)

an idea of the cost

Syn:

estimate, estimation, approximation, guess, conjecture, rough calculation; informal guesstimate

••

idea, concept, conception, impression, notion, thought

If you have an idea it might refer to something perceived through the senses (I had no idea it was so cold out), to something visualized (the idea of a joyous family outing), or to something that is the product of the imagination (a great idea for raising money). Idea is a comprehensive word that applies to almost any aspect of mental activity. A thought, on the other hand, is an idea that is the result of meditation, reasoning, or some other intellectual activity (she hadn't given much thought to the possibility of losing). A notion is a vague or capricious idea, often without any sound basis (he had a notion that he could get there by hitchhiking). A widely held idea of what something is or should be is a concept (the concept of loyalty was beyond him), while a conception is a concept that is held by an individual or small group and that is often colored by imagination and feeling (her conception of marriage as a romantic ideal). An idea that is triggered by something external is an impression, a word that suggests a half-formed mental picture or superficial view (he made a good impression; she had the impression that everything would be taken care of).