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Holding or adhering to any opinion, purpose, or design, with obstinacy; perversely persistent; obstinate; as, pertinacious plotters; a pertinacious beggar.

The opinion or doctrine that everything in nature is ordered for or tends to the worst, or that the world is wholly evil; -- opposed to Ant: optimism.

A prescription intended to humor or satisfy. To sing placebo, to agree with one in his opinion; to be complaisant to. Chaucer.

A decree or determination; a dictum. [Obs.] "The placits and opinions of other philosophers." Evelyn.

Of or pertaining to Plato, or his philosophy, school, or opinions.

To adopt the opinion of Plato or his followers. Milner.

One who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant. The sarcasms and invectives of the young polemic. Macaulay.

An apprehension or opinion formed before examination or knowledge. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

ipitant, or precipitate; headlong hurry; excessive or rash haste in resolving, forming an opinion, or executing a purpose; precipitation; as, the precipitancy of youth. "Precipitance of judgment." I. Watts.

An opinion or notion formed beforehand; a preconception. Hooker.

To conceive, or form an opinion of, beforehand; to form a previous notion or idea of. In a dead plain the way seemeth the longer, because the eye hath preconceived it shorter than the truth. Bacon.

The act of preconceiving; conception or opinion previously formed.

Formed before due examination. "Ignorance and prejudicate opinions." Jer. Taylor.

An opinion or judgment formed without due examination; prejudgment; a leaning toward one side of a question from other considerations than those belonging to it; an unreasonable predilection for, or objection against, anything; especially, an opinion or leaning adverse to anything, without just grounds, or before suffi…

o soon; too early; untimely; as, a premature fall of snow; a premature birth; a premature opinion; premature decay.

; to give a previous inclination to, for or against anything; esp., to induce a favorable opinion beforehand, or at the outset. It created him enemies, and prepossessed the lord general. Evelyn.

Preoccupation of the mind by an opinion, or impression, already formed; preconceived opinion; previous impression; bias; -- generally, but not always, used in a favorable sense; as, the prepossessions of childhood. "The prejudices and prepossessions of the country." Sir W. Scott.

To give directions; to dictate. A forwardness to prescribe to their opinions. Locke.

Previous sentiment, conception, or opinion; previous apprehension; especially, an antecedent impression or conviction of something unpleasant, distressing, or calamitous, about to happen; anticipation of evil; foreboding.

ing of the bounds of reverence, respect, or courtesy; forward, overconfident, or arrogant opinion or conduct; presumptuousness; arrogance; effrontery. Thy son I killed for his presumption. Shak. I had the presumption to dedicate to you a very unfinished piece. Dryden. Conclusive presumption. See under Conclusive. -- P…