Looking up...
conviction
/kənˈvɪkʃən/
strong belief
She spoke with conviction about the importance of education.
She expressed her strong belief firmly and sincerely.
formal
A firmly held belief or opinion.
His conviction that climate change is real never wavered.
He always believed firmly that climate change is real.
She acted with conviction, even when others doubted her.
She showed strong belief in her actions despite skepticism.
Often implies moral or emotional certainty, not just intellectual agreement.
Law
legal
The act of proving someone guilty of a crime in a court of law.
The conviction rate for violent crimes has increased this year.
More violent criminals are being found guilty in court.
He received a five-year sentence following his conviction.
After being proven guilty, he was sentenced to five years.
In legal contexts, refers to the formal declaration of guilt by a court.
Collocations
strong convictiona deeply held beliefmoral convictiona belief based on ethicsdeep convictiona very strong beliefwith convictionin a confident and sincere way
Antonyms
Pro Tip
Context matters
Pay attention to whether 'conviction' refers to a belief (e.g., 'She spoke with conviction') or a legal verdict (e.g., 'The conviction was overturned').
Gold Rule
Belief vs. Legal
If the sentence mentions a court, judge, or jury, 'conviction' likely refers to a guilty verdict. Otherwise, it usually means a strong personal belief.
Word Origin
From Latin 'convictio(n-)', meaning 'proof, refutation' (from 'convincere' = to prove wrong), later influenced by Old French 'conviccion' and Middle English 'conviccioun'. The legal sense emerged in the 16th century, while the 'strong belief' sense developed in the 17th century.
Usage Notes
In everyday speech, 'conviction' often refers to personal beliefs. In legal contexts, it specifically means a guilty verdict. Avoid confusing the two meanings.
Word Breakdown
con-
together, with
prefix-vict-
to conquer or prove
root-ion
action or state of
suffixEnglish Dictionary