Origin: 1520–30; <
Latin convincere to prove (something) false or true, (somebody) right or wrong, equivalent to
con- con- +
vincere to overcome;
see victor Related formscon·vinc·ed·ly, adverb
con·vinc·ed·ness, noun
con·vinc·er, noun
con·vin·ci·ble, adjective
con·vinc·i·bil·i·ty, noun
EXPANDhalf-con·vinced, adjective
pre·con·vince, verb (used with object), pre·con·vinced, pre·con·vinc·ing.
qua·si-con·vinced, adjective
re·con·vince, verb (used with object), re·con·vinced, re·con·vinc·ing.
un·con·vinced, adjective
un·con·vin·ci·ble, adjective
well-con·vinced, adjective
COLLAPSESynonyms
1. satisfy.
Usage note Convince, an often stated rule says, may be followed only by
that or
of, never by
to: We convinced him that he should enter (not
convinced him to enter)
the contest. He was convinced of the wisdom of entering. In examples to support the rule,
convince is often contrasted with
persuade, which may take
to, of, or
that followed by the appropriate construction:
We persuaded him to seek counseling (or
of his need for counseling or
that he should seek counseling).
EXPANDThe history of usage does not support the rule. Convince (someone) to has been in use since the 16th century and, despite objections by some, occurs freely today in all varieties of speech and writing and is fully standard: Members of the cabinet are trying to convince the prime minister not to resign.
COLLAPSE