Meaning & use
circumstantial evidence
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablelegallaw
Evidence that lets a court infer a fact from related circumstances rather than from direct proof.
Grammar: Uncountable: say circumstantial evidence, not 'a circumstantial evidence' or 'circumstantial evidences'.
Patterns
- circumstantial evidence of something
- circumstantial evidence that ...
- rely on circumstantial evidence
- convict someone on circumstantial evidence
The case rested on circumstantial evidence, such as the defendant's fingerprints near the window.
There was no witness, so the police had to build a case from circumstantial evidence.
Circumstantial evidence can be enough to convict if it points clearly to one conclusion.
Common combinations
- strong circumstantial evidence
- The prosecutor called it strong circumstantial evidence of his guilt.
- purely circumstantial evidence
- The judge warned that the case was based on purely circumstantial evidence.
- convict on circumstantial evidence
- He was convicted on circumstantial evidence after a long trial.
- circumstantial evidence of guilt
- Her sudden flight was treated as circumstantial evidence of guilt.
Synonyms and how they differ
- indirect evidence
- Indirect evidence is a broader phrase for anything that is not direct proof; circumstantial evidence is the legal term for facts that allow an inference.
- inference
- An inference is the conclusion you draw, not the evidence itself; circumstantial evidence is the material that supports the inference.
Opposites
Word family
- circumstance noun
- A fact or condition connected with an event.
- circumstantial adjective
- Relating to circumstances; in law, describing evidence based on inference.
Commonly confused: circumstantial evidence or direct evidence?
circumstantial evidence vs direct evidence
Direct evidence proves a fact immediately, such as an eyewitness saying 'I saw him do it'; circumstantial evidence requires you to infer the fact from other details.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'circumstantial evidence' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Footprints are a fact from which you infer entry, so they are circumstantial evidence. Option 0 describes direct evidence, option 2 wrongly adds 'a' to an uncountable noun, and option 3 wrongly makes it plural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “circumstantial evidence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.