When you do something with conviction, you do so with full confidence that you are correct.
But what is the verb that means “To be fully confident that one is correct”?
At Microsoft, it is often backformed into the verb convict (stress on second syllable).
This backformation typically happens in speech, so it’s hard to find written citations, although I did find a few.
We will never know for sure, but I continue to remain highly convicted that we are on the right track here.
Be convicted about where you’re heading, and that you are doing the most important things.
There are rumors that Bob is not super-convicted about this plan.
I cannot find dictionary support for this usage of convicted, but then again, I didn’t search the big guns like the Oxford English Dictionary.
From what I can tell, the English verb corresponding to conviction is simply convince. The word conviction apparently comes from the Latin convictionem, which is the accusative form of convictio, meaning “proof”, which is in turn the past participle of convincere, which means “to convince”. So at least that lines up.
But saying “I continue to remain convicted that we are on the right track here” sounds more forceful than simply “I continue to remain convinced that we are on the right track here.”
That’s probably why the word survives. It just sounds more powerful.
Bonus chatter: This backformation strikes me as odd whenever I hear it, because I think the person is saying that they have been convicted of a crime.
I’m super convicted (see what i did there) some big boss once misspoke and then double-down on this usage
Doesn’t seem difficult to unbackform it.
We will never know for sure, but I continue to retain high conviction that we are on the right track here.
Have conviction about where you’re heading, and that you are doing the most important things.
There are rumors that Bob doesn’t have a lot of conviction about this plan.