Meaning & use
circumstantial
Based on details that suggest something without directly proving it, especially in a legal context.
See it in a sentence
The jury convicted him largely on circumstantial evidence, since no witness saw the crime.
The report was thorough but circumstantial, offering clues rather than firm conclusions.
A note on using this word
"Circumstantial evidence" is often assumed to be weak, but it can be strong when many details point the same way.
Words with a similar meaning
indirectinferential
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
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