opinionated

Opinionated is an adjective that describes someone who holds strong opinions and tends to express them openly. In general use, it can describe a person who is confident and outspoken, but it often carries a negative connotation of stubbornness or bias when beliefs are asserted without regard for other perspectives.

Etymology and sense: Derived from opinion plus the suffix -ed, the term describes attitudes and approaches as well as people. When applied to things, "opinionated" can describe systems or methods that prescribe a particular way of thinking or working.

In social language: A phrase like "an opinionated editor" implies frequent judgment and a strong point of view.

In technology and culture: In computing, "opinionated" describes software that enforces a specific architecture or workflow, providing defaults and conventions that must be followed. This can speed development and reduce decision fatigue, but may reduce flexibility. Rails has been described as an opinionated framework; many other frameworks are labeled similarly.

Related terms and nuance: Related terms include dogmatic, assertive, biased; antonyms include neutral, unopinionated, objective. The label is highly context-dependent and can be either positive or negative, depending on tone and circumstances.