circumstantial evidence

noun

: evidence that tends to prove a fact by proving other events or circumstances which afford a basis for a reasonable inference of the occurrence of the fact at issue

Examples of circumstantial evidence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Gyllenhaal’s Rusty, stressed out and overburdened by circumstantial evidence that points at him in neon lights, is much the same. —

Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 26 July 2024 The working theory is that lactating cows with infected udders are spreading the virus to other dairy cows during the milking process, but that’s based on circumstantial evidence such as the presence of H5N1 in environmental samples from milk parlors. —

Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 May 2024 Scientists used multiple forms of DNA testing, as well as anthropological and circumstantial evidence, to study the remains. —

Kerry Breen, CBS News, 25 Oct. 2024 Strong circumstantial evidence points to one or more government agencies in Ethiopia as the responsible party. —

Ron Deibert, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2017 See all Example Sentences for circumstantial evidence

Word History

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of circumstantial evidence was in 1736

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near circumstantial evidence

circumstantial

circumstantial evidence

circumstantialness

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Circumstantial evidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circumstantial%20evidence. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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