unconvincing

British  

/ ˌʌnkənˈvɪnsɪŋ /

adjective

1. not credible or plausible

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Explanation

Anything that's unconvincing is unlikely or hard to believe. Your unconvincing story about being abducted by aliens probably won't persuade your teacher to give you an extension on your term paper. Your unconvincing impersonation of President Ronald Reagan might sound more like John Wayne, and an unconvincing alibi won't get a suspect off the hook if a detective thinks she's guilty. The adjective unconvincing comes from convince, "cause to believe in the truth of something," and its root that means "to conquer." If you haven't convinced someone of some fact or truth, you've been unconvincing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unconvincing

"Overall we find the argument based on human rights to be unconvincing and the judge went too far and made assumptions which he should not have made," she added.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

That some narrative moves are obvious, some unconvincing and some just extraneous does not get in the way of a good time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Sadly, there’s no reason to think that Vance cares, because the other reason his faux-chivalry act was so unconvincing is that he does not seem to like or respect his wife.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

After an unconvincing showing in the first round, he eventually endorsed both Evette and her opponent in the runoff, which Evette lost by a 2-to-1 margin.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

“Oh, ’ello, ’Arry,” said Mundungus Fletcher, with a most unconvincing stab at airiness.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

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Related Words

• flimsy
• implausible
• inconclusive
• questionable
• unbelievable

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