conviction
con·vic·tion
noun \kən-ˈvik-shən\Definition of CONVICTION
1
: the act or process of finding a person guilty of a crime especially in a court of law
2
a : the act of convincing a person of error or of compelling the admission of a truth b : the state of being convinced of error or compelled to admit the truth
3
a : a strong persuasion or belief b : the state of being convinced
See Examples of CONVICTION
- She hopes to avoid conviction.
- In light of the evidence, a conviction seems certain.
- He has three prior drunk-driving convictions.
- Convictions for shoplifting have made it difficult for her to get a job.
- a person of deep convictions
- They share my strong conviction that the policy is misguided.
- … a perfect example, I told Bobby, … why Realtors have to be prepared to work holidays. “Well, yeah,” he said, utterly without conviction. —Jane Smiley, Good Faith, 2003
- It was his conviction that if the words in the story were blurred because of the author's insensitivity, carelessness, or sentimentality, then the story suffered from a tremendous handicap. —Raymond Carver, The Story and Its Writer, edited by Ann Charters, 1987
- She spoke in … the voice which people often used to express their deepest convictions … —Paula Fox, A Servant's Tale, 1984
- Certainly the basis of our democracy is the conviction of the worth of the individual. —Robert Penn Warren, Democracy and Poetry, (1975) 1976
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Origin of CONVICTION
(see 2convict)
First Known Use: 15th century
Related to CONVICTION
Synonyms: assurance, assuredness, certainty, certitude, cocksureness, confidence, doubtlessness, face, positiveness, satisfaction, sureness, surety
Related Words: authoritarianism, dogmatism; decisiveness, determination, firmness, purposefulness, resoluteness, resolution, resolve
Near Antonyms: hesitancy, hesitation, indecisiveness, irresolution; disbelief, incredulity, unbelief; anxiety, concern, misgiving; distrust, mistrust, suspicion
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Rhymes with CONVICTION
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Next Word in the Dictionary: convictional
Previous Word in the Dictionary: convict goods
All Words Near: conviction
Previous Word in the Dictionary: convict goods
All Words Near: conviction
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