Trivia Time

Which film centers on jurors debating whether a defendant’s conviction is justified?

Test Your Knowledge

conviction

American  

[kuhn-vik-shuhn] / kənˈvɪk ʃən /

noun

• convictions
  plural

1. a fixed or firm belief.

   No clever argument, no persuasive fact or theory could make a dent in his conviction in the rightness of his position.

2. the act of convicting someone, as in a court of law; a declaration that a person is guilty of an offense.

3. the state of being convicted.

4. the act of convincing a person by argument or evidence.

5. the state of being convinced.

   Antonyms:

   uncertainty, doubt

---

conviction British  

/ kənˈvɪkʃən /

noun

1. the state or appearance of being convinced

2. a fixed or firmly held belief, opinion, etc

3. the act of convincing

4. the act or an instance of convicting or the state of being convicted

5. to be convincing

---

conviction Idioms  

1. see courage of one's convictions.

---

Synonym Usage

See belief.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonconviction
  noun
• preconviction
  noun
• reconviction
  noun
• convictional
  adjective
• proconviction
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• convictions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of conviction

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Late Latin convictiōn-, stem of convictiō “proof (of guilt)” from convict(us) “convinced, conquered” (past participle of convincere; see convince) + -iō -ion ( def. )

Explanation

A conviction is something certain: a judgment of guilty in court and a strong belief are both convictions. In the legal world, when a judge or jury convicts someone of a crime — finding them guilty — this is called a conviction. Prosecutors try to get convictions, and defense attorneys try to prevent them. Also, convictions are beliefs — principles. The United States was founded on many convictions, such as the belief in free speech and separation of church and state. When you have a conviction, you're certain of something.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conviction convictions

But it is also a revolutionary state, sustained since 1979 by ideological conviction as much as calculation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

He became “the first person executed in the United States for a conviction based on the DNA-matching technology popularly known as genetic fingerprinting.”

From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026

The Service Prosecuting Authority advised there was a realistic prospect of conviction for battery if charges were made within a time limit of six months.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

As she managed in the quite good sci-fi coming-of-age dramedy “My Old Ass,” Stella has a knack for giving authenticity to the outlandish — a naturalistic conviction that reminds me of Florence Pugh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

They convinced themselves that Adams was the enemy, and then all the evidence fell in place around that rock-ribbed, if highly questionable, conviction.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Through May, prosecutors had charged fewer than four dozen people with crimes related to noncitizen voting, ProPublica’s analysis of DOJ data and federal court filings shows, getting convictions or guilty pleas in 14 cases.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

DNA is now a gold standard, used to expose false convictions.

From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026

Fraud convictions could sink the antiracism nonprofit, known for its courtroom wins against the Klan decades ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

If ministers said, for example, that prisoners with manslaughter convictions could not be considered for the scheme, that would have an instant impact on many other inmates.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

It is the one instance when the commingling of their convictions and the very intimacy of their partnership led him astray.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• confidence
• faith
• feeling
• principle
• sentiment
• view