conviction
Americannoun
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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.
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the act of convicting someone, as in a court of law; a declaration that a person is guilty of an offense.
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the state of being convicted.
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the act of convincing a person by argument or evidence.
-
the state of being convinced.
- Antonyms:
- uncertainty, doubt
noun
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the state or appearance of being convinced
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a fixed or firmly held belief, opinion, etc
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the act of convincing
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the act or an instance of convicting or the state of being convicted
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to be convincing
Related Words
See belief.
Other Word Forms
- convictional adjective
- nonconviction noun
- preconviction noun
- proconviction adjective
- reconviction noun
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; convince ) + -iō -ion ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They repeatedly moved to dismiss the treason count, noting that conviction required a “breach of allegiance, and can be committed by him only who owes allegiance either perpetual or temporary.”
From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026
Bitcoin traded around $68,000 Wednesday, below the $70,000-$72,000 range needed to build stronger market conviction, Lucas said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
The valuations are compelling—but conviction remains the missing piece.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
We've got to work smarter with high conviction and energy every single day to capture that headroom.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
The old conviction that there was no new knowledge had momentarily resurfaced, only to sink almost without trace beneath the tide whose very existence it denied.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
