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

"The appeal succeeds… and the conviction for murder will accordingly be quashed."

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The two movements overlap heavily in membership and ideas, sharing an emphasis on reasoning through evidence and probabilities, and a conviction that preventing human extinction should be a top priority.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Mars took our familiarity with the material as an opportunity to deconstruct “When I Was Your Man,” turning over each part of the song to show us the emotional conviction it requires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Despite her conviction, Le Pen remains a front-runner in presidential polls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

In the midst of this willful confusion, one Madisonian conviction shone through with his more characteristic clarity—namely, that slavery was an explosive topic that must be removed from the political agenda of the new nation.

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

I saw the ruling pop up on the screen: the Supreme Court unanimously vacated my convictions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

About 70 percent of these detainees have no criminal convictions.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

Thousands rallied in Kosovo on Thursday against the war crimes convictions of former president Hashim Thaci, as EU chief Ursula von der Leyen urged respect for the court during a visit to Pristina.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

The findings involving criminal convictions were also based on a relatively limited number of studies.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

Mr. Tison will be retried on the murder count and sentenced on all convictions at a later date.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

Related Words

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