Meanings
- idiomaticuncountablealmost always preceded by theSteadfast adherence to one's beliefs or principles, especially in the face of criticism or other opposition.
Nance was eager to oblige, but she had the courage of her convictions and held her point.
1917, Alice Hegan Rice, chapter 4, in Calvary Alley4 more examples
"I prefer those who have the courage of their convictions, and who stand by them publicly."
1888, Amelia E. Barr, chapter 14, in Remember the Alamo[T]he courage of his convictions made him a conscientious objector to military service in the Second World War and underpinned half a century of conscientious humanitarian service thereafter.
1997 November 13, John Pritchard, “Obituary: Dr C. A. Pearson”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 21 May 2015Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. accused Mr. Obama from the bench on Wednesday of not having “the courage of his convictions” for continuing to enforce the marriage law even after concluding that it violated constitutional equal protection guarantees.
2013 March 28, Peter Baker, “For Obama, Tricky Balancing Act in Enforcing Defense of Marriage Act”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 May 2015A report into West Midlands performance suggests that Network Rail lacked the courage of its convictions to raise concerns about the impact of planned timetable changes, says Philip Haigh
2020 June 17, “A record of saying yes when no was the better answer”, in Rail, page 52, subtitle
Translations
Finnish rohkeus puolustaa vakaumustaan
- rohkeus puolustaa vakaumustaanTranslations
French avoir le courage de ses opinions
- avoir le courage de ses opinionsTranslations
Polish przekonanie o swojej słuszności
- przekonanie o swojej słusznościTranslations
Cite this entry
courage of one's convictions. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/courage%20of%20one's%20convictions
“courage of one's convictions.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/courage%20of%20one's%20convictions. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “courage of one's convictions,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/courage%20of%20one's%20convictions.
Source: courage of one's convictions on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.