pendapat

Pendapat is a noun in Indonesian and Malay meaning an opinion, viewpoint, or belief about a matter. It refers to a judgment or interpretation held by a person or group and can express either a personal stance or a broader, collective stance such as public opinion.

It is widely used in both formal and informal communication. Common constructions include berpendapat (to hold an opinion) and menyampaikan pendapat (to express one's opinion). Possessive forms such as pendapat saya, pendapat Anda, or pendapatnya are also common.

There are related terms and nuances: pendapat umum (public opinion), pendapat pribadi (personal opinion), and pendapat ahli (expert opinion). Synonyms include pandangan and opini; the latter is a loanword from English and is common in media and academic writing. Pendapat differs from sikap (attitude) and pandangan (view) though they can overlap in everyday language.

In discourse, pendapat appears in policies, debates, journalism, and scholarly work, where people present, compare, or challenge arguments. It also forms phrases such as menurut pendapat saya or pendapat pihak ketiga in formal assessments. Overall, pendapat denotes the subjective element of reasoning about issues.