- present participle of convince.
convincing
Americanadjective
-
persuading or assuring by argument or evidence.
They gave a convincing demonstration of the car's safety features.
-
appearing worthy of belief; plausible.
The excuse was not convincing.
adjective
-
credible or plausible
-
law persuading by evidence or argument
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of convincing
Explanation
When something is convincing, it makes people agree with what it claims to be true. Describe an argument as convincing if it wins you over and makes you believe in its rightness. To figure out what convincing means, remember that vincere is the Latin word for "to conquer." Add on the prefix con-, meaning "with," and you get something that has the ability to conquer — whether it's doubts, disbelief, or hostility. The suffix -ing tells you that the word describes the action or result of something. The result of a convincing argument is more people who have joined your side or cause.
Vocabulary lists containing convincing
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 31-40
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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"The War of the Wall" by Toni Cade Bambara
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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.
Everyone’s mileage will vary, but I find the film’s matter-of-fact formal structure more convincing than not.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
“The Social Reckoning” exists to make what we already know compelling again, reminding — perhaps even convincing — viewers that journalism is not only worthwhile, but critically important.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
They said: "Scammers can easily create convincing false profiles, which are built to use trusted relationships to manipulate people into sending money, bank details or vouchers."
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
In court earlier on Wednesday, Pike's lawyers secured a legal win by convincing a judge to order the state to preserve the broadest amount of evidence possible from the US death row inmate's botched execution.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Burger's lies were convincing, and Heinck and Quirin believed him.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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.
