conviction – 1. a firmly held belief or opinion 2. a decision made by a court of law that someone is guilty of a crime

(Pronounced kuhn-vik-shn)

To remember the definition of the word conviction, use the following mnemonic:

The convict made a decision (conviction) to escape. He firmly held the belief that the court's guilty verdict was wrong.

1. Examples of conviction in a sentence (firmly held belief)

I have a firm conviction that good will prevail in the end.

She had been speaking for five minutes with force and conviction.

He had no real conviction in anything he did.

3. Examples of conviction in a sentence (a decision made by a court of law)

The trial and conviction of the spy took place last year.

The man accused didn't get the conviction he deserved for his crimes.

The conviction was plagued by drama.