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. to be convincing

Other Word Forms

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

In an article for the Times of India this month, Bhaskar Sunkara, founding editor of the American socialist magazine Jacobin, called Mr. Mamdani “the real deal—a Marxist by training and conviction.”

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Two pro-Palestinian activists found guilty of harassing a government minister have had their convictions overturned.

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The family argued that their rights, which requires the State providing education to "respect the right of parents to ensure such education is in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions", had been contravened.

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And no one could come up with a high conviction thing because we already own healthcare,” she said.

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Long-term conviction doesn’t protect you from the sharp edge of a loan contract, and many borrowers have lost their crypto during temporary downturns that they could have survived if they were unleveraged.

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Related Words

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