conviction

[ kuhn-vik-shuhn ]

noun

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

/ 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. carry conviction
   to be convincing

Derived Forms

• conˈvictional, adjective

Other Words From

• con·viction·al adjective
• noncon·viction noun
• precon·viction noun
• procon·viction adjective
• recon·viction noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of conviction¹

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; convince ) + -iō -ion ( def )

Idioms and Phrases

see courage of one's convictions .

Synonym Study

See belief.

Example Sentences

Founders described needing conviction in their decisions and preserving carved out time for their own information processing.

From TechCrunch

In such a counterfactual scenario, we would have moral grounds for cruelty, which runs counter to our deepest moral convictions.

From Nautilus

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice have already levied cases against possible fraudsters, and as of a June 9 report, nearly 100 cases had been initiated since the program’s rollout, some already leading to convictions.

From Fortune

I spent a couple of hours yesterday in off-the-record conversations with members of Fortune’s CEO Initiative, which reinforced my conviction that critics from both sides miss the mark.

From Fortune

This conviction usually lasts about 24 hours until, after another night of horrible sleep, the idea of running eight miles before breakfast is about as appealing as lighting myself on fire.

From Outside Online

They are to face oppression with humble persistence and absolute conviction.

From The Daily Beast

In January, an appeal hearing will determine whether he qualifies for post-conviction relief.

From The Daily Beast

Still, his conviction will restart a House Ethics Committee investigation into his actions.

From The Daily Beast

Vasquez, who has borderline ID, was exonerated in 1989, four years after his conviction.

From The Daily Beast

He acknowledged the theories but his voice lacked conviction.

From The Daily Beast

Her eyes, for a moment, fixed themselves with a horrid conviction of a wide and nameless treachery.

From Project Gutenberg

The only thing that at all tended to shake this conviction, was the extraordinary poltroonery of our new captive.

From Project Gutenberg

It was their firm conviction that the system under which we live was, in its broad outline, a system of even justice.

From Project Gutenberg

To-day he seemed to speak the words with a conviction that was not usual, with some curious under-meaning.

From Project Gutenberg

Natives join them from various motives, for it would be venturesome to assert that they are all moved by religious conviction.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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