convincing

Pluralconvincings

1. 1
   adjective

   Effective as proof or evidence; strong enough to remove reasonable doubt about a claim.

   The prosecution presented convincing evidence linking the suspect to the crime scene.

   Her demonstration was convincing enough to win over even the most doubtful engineers.

   Similarpersuasive, compelling, conclusive, cogent, powerful

   Oppositeunconvincing, weak, inconclusive, implausible

   Note

   Once the participle settles into an adjective, it can be graded: more convincing, most convincing, not as convincing as. It also stretches from proof to outcomes. A convincing victory is one whose margin leaves no doubt, which is exactly what BBC Sport questioned about Arsenal's 5–2 win over Spurs in 2012. Watch the word order in as convincing a victory as: the adjective moves ahead of the article.

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of convince.

   The senator was convincing undecided colleagues right up until the vote began.

   Convincing skeptical investors took the founders nearly a year.

   Note

   One spelling does two grammatical jobs. As a participle it takes an object (was convincing undecided colleagues), and as a gerund it heads a noun phrase (convincing investors took a year). To tell it from the adjective, look for an object; the adjective takes none and accepts very or more. The older meanings of convince (to convict, to confute, to overcome) are obsolete, so convincing someone today never means proving them guilty.

3. 3
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The process of bringing someone to believe something or to agree to a course of action.

   The merger required months of patient convincing before the board finally approved it.

   Voters in the district will take some convincing after years of broken promises.

   Similarpersuasion, persuading, coaxing

   Note

   The noun is usually a mass noun: it takes some convincing, months of patient convincing. It can also be counted. Richard L. Epstein's Critical Thinking (2002) speaks of convincings in the plural, treating each attempt as an event with two parties, one doing the persuading and one meant to be persuaded. For everyday writing, the uncountable use after take, need or require is the safe choice.

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