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
Derived 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.
An unglamorous choice to replace taskmaster Tom Thibodeau, the well-traveled Brown turned a good team into a great one by convincing them to collectively sacrifice.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Here, though, his partnership with Shankland looked convincing.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
In these areas, the evidence was less convincing.
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026
Shin said “a convincing case could certainly have been made even for raising rates at this meeting,” with uncertainty around the Middle East the main reason for restraint.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
The difficulty lies not in telling the story, but in convincing everyone else to believe it.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
