courage of one's convictions
6
6.6
- idiom
:
coraje de las convicciones
- To have the courage of your convictions means standing firm in your beliefs, even when faced with backlash.
Examples
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He displayed the courage of his convictions when he refused to back down during the debate.
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She showed the courage of her convictions by speaking out against injustice.
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You lack the courage of your convictions.
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You have the courage of your convictions.
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The difference is that this woman has had the courage of her convictions to post this.
Blog text (17) -
Too bad he did not have the courage of his convictions.
Blog text (20) -
People respect someone with the courage of their convictions.
Blog text (15) -
Joe had the courage of his convictions to make the transition.
Fiction book (1997) -
Right or wrong, she makes decisions and has the courage of her convictions, which I applaud.
Blog text (9) -
We have to respect one another, and we have to love one another, and we have to treat our fellow people as we ourselves want to be treated, and we have to have the courage of our convictions to strive and never yield.
Academic text (2016)
Synonyms
∞
1.4
Doing something even if you feel afraid or are in danger
104
2.3
A person's willingness to face danger or pain without fear
5
3.9
A strong will and courage to keep trying against difficulties
4
5.9
Loyalty that stays strong in hard times
1
7.0
Bravery and determination when facing danger or risk
1
4.9
Brave actions when facing danger, pain or difficulty
Brave, determined action when facing danger or difficulty
Brave and determined actions in hard times
Being willing to face danger, fear, or pain without moving away
Antonyms
How Firm
Surface Forms
Morphology
courage + of + one + conviction
The meaning is directly compositional: 'courage' (bravery) combined with 'of one's convictions' (of one's firmly held beliefs) yields 'bravery to act on one's beliefs.' This genitive construction and the semantic link between courage and convictions is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase courage of one's convictions comes from the image of a person standing firm with a clear belief: their convictions are the strong beliefs they hold and their courage is the strength to stand by them. So, it means 'the strength to act on your beliefs even when others disagree'.