In a criminal case, a conviction is when someone has been found guilty of committing a crime.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
conviction (noun)1.
the act or process of finding a person guilty of a crime especially in a court of law
2.
a) the act of a person of error or of the admission of a truth - convincing compelling
b) the state of being of error or compelled to admit the truth - convinced
3.
a) a strong persuasion or belief
b) the state of being - convinced certainty, opinion
Merriam-Webster Online Thesaurus
conviction (noun)1.
a state of mind in which one is free from doubt
SYNONYMS:
assurance, assuredness, certainty, certitude, cocksureness, conviction, doubtlessness, face, positiveness, satisfaction, sureness, suretyRELATED WORDS:
authoritarianism, dogmatism; decisiveness, determination, firmness, purposefulness, resoluteness, resolution, resolveNEAR ANTONYMS:
hesitancy, hesitation, indecisiveness, irresolution; disbelief, incredulity, unbelief; anxiety, concern, misgiving; distrust, mistrust, suspicion2.
an idea that is believed to be true or valid without positive knowledge
SYNONYMS:
belief, conviction, eye, feeling, judgment ( judgement), mind, notion, persuasion, sentiment, verdict, viewRELATED WORDS:
say; impression, perception, take; attitude; assumption, presumption, presupposition; conclusion, decision, determination; deliverance, esteem, estimate, estimation; credence, credit, faith; concept, conception, idea, thought; position, stance, stand; comment, obiter dictum, observation, reflection, remark; conjecture, guess, hunch, hypothesis, surmise, theory; advice, input, recommendation, suggestion; angle, outlook, perspective, shoes, slant, standpoint, viewpoint; counterviewNEAR ANTONYMS:
fact, truth