Noun

(en noun)

(countable) A firmly held belief.

(countable) A judgement of guilt in a court of law.

* {{quote-news

, year=2011 , date=December 14 , author=Steven Morris , title=Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave , work=Guardian citation , page= , passage=He said Robins had not been in trouble with the law before and had no previous convictions . Jail would have an adverse effect on her and her three children as she was the main carer.}}

(uncountable) The state of being found or proved guilty.

(uncountable) The state of being convinced.

* 2013 , Daniel Taylor, Rickie Lambert's debut goal gives England victory over Scotland'' (in ''The Guardian , 14 August 2013)[http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/aug/14/england-scotland-international-friendly]

The visitors were being pinned back by the end of the first half. Yet Gordon Strachan's side played with great conviction and always had a chance of springing a surprise when their opponents were so susceptible at the back.

Noun

(en-noun)

An authoritative principle, belief or statement of opinion, especially one considered to be absolutely true regardless of evidence, or without evidence to support it.

''The unforgiving dogma of Stalinism is that what the party leader, however cruel and incompetent, decrees, however absurd, must be accepted as law.

A doctrine (or set of doctrines) relating to matters such as morality and faith, set forth authoritatively by a religious organization or leader.

In the Catholic Church, new dogmas can only be declared by the pope after the extremely rare procedure ''ex cathedra'' to make them part of the official faith.