A strong belief held sincerely enough to guide choices and action.
Reach for it when naming principled certainty while leaving evidence and consequences open to examination
Her conviction that every child could learn shaped the patient pace of the program.
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| everyday | |
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal |
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| literary |
playful
gut belief
Fits when informal intuitive certainty is intentionally meant
Careful The phrase privileges instinct where evidence should decide.
everyday
Fits when acceptance that an idea is true is the broad point
Careful A belief may be tentative and exert little influence on conduct.
warm
Fits when trust persists beyond complete evidence
Careful Faith can be religious and may not produce a definite position.
professional
principle
Fits when a rule or value consistently guides decisions
Careful A principle is normative, while a conviction can concern any fact or cause.
professional
Fits when firm determination to act matters most
Careful Resolve is intention, not the underlying belief that motivates it.
formal
Fits when freedom from doubt is central
Careful Certainty describes strength of knowledge, not moral commitment.
literary
credo
Fits when a compact set of guiding beliefs suits elevated prose
Careful Credo sounds doctrinal and is larger than one conviction.
deep conviction
A deep conviction does not remove the duty to examine evidence.
speak with conviction
She could speak with conviction while admitting what remained uncertain.
moral conviction
Moral conviction led him to refuse the hidden fee.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated
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