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conviction

[kuhn-vik-shuhn]
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noun

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.
the act of convicting someone, as in a court of law; a declaration that a person is guilty of an offense.
the state of being convicted.
the act of convincing a person by argument or evidence.
the state of being convinced.

Origin of conviction

1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin convictiōn- (stem of convictiō) proof (of guilt). See convict, -ion
Related formscon·vic·tion·al, adjectivenon·con·vic·tion, nounpre·con·vic·tion, nounpro·con·vic·tion, adjectivere·con·vic·tion, noun

Synonym study

1. See belief.

Antonyms for conviction

5. doubt, uncertainty.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for convictions

faith, confidence, sentiment, principle, feeling, view, eye, reliance, creed, mind, slant, tenet, dogma, doctrine, persuasion, certitude, sureness, assuredness, earnestness, certainty

Examples from the Web for convictions

Contemporary Examples of convictions

Historical Examples of convictions

British Dictionary definitions for convictions

conviction

noun

the state or appearance of being convinced
a fixed or firmly held belief, opinion, etc
the act of convincing
the act or an instance of convicting or the state of being convicted
carry conviction to be convincing
Derived Formsconvictional, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for convictions
n.

"those ideas which one believes to be true," 1883, plural of conviction.

conviction

n.

mid-15c., "the proving of guilt," from Late Latin convictionem (nominative convictio) "proof, refutation," noun of action from past participle stem of convincere (see convince). Meaning "mental state of being convinced" is from 1690s; that of "firm belief, a belief held as proven" is from 1841.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with convictions

conviction

see courage of one's convictions.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.