circumstantial
Americanadjective
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relating to or derived from circumstances.
a circumstantial result;
circumstantial evidence.
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of the nature of a circumstance or minor detail; nonessential; secondary.
of circumstantial importance.
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dealing with or giving circumstances; detailed; particular.
a circumstantial report of a business conference.
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pertaining to conditions of material welfare.
adjective
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of or dependent on circumstances
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fully detailed
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incidental
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of circumstantial
1590–1600; < Latin circumstanti ( a ) circumstance + -al 1
Explanation
Circumstantial is a word that refers to specific details about something: in other words, about circumstances. Circumstantial evidence might implicate someone's guilt, but it certainly doesn't prove them guilty. The word circumstances refers to the facts of your life: everyone has different circumstances. So the word circumstantial refers to the specific details of some situation. This word is most often heard in the term circumstantial evidence, which you may have heard on a TV crime or trial program. Circumstantial evidence might lead a detective to suspect someone's guilt, but eyewitness testimony may be needed to convince the jury.
Vocabulary lists containing circumstantial
The Great Gatsby
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Circumstantial evidence has convinced detectives that Brückner is the strongest suspect yet since the British girl Madeleine disappeared in 2007, aged three.
From The Guardian • Jun. 5, 2020
But neither version of Just Mercy captures the level of animosity Chapman felt for Stevenson that Circumstantial Evidence describes, nor his description of their first meeting, from the same book:
From Slate • Dec. 25, 2019
Circumstantial evidence could be used to demonstrate the actions constituted a criminal conspiracy to commit fraud, said Rahmani, adding that prosecutors would not have to prove that Olivia Jade Gianulli actually saw the email.
From Fox News • Apr. 18, 2019
Circumstantial evidence can be enough to sway the jury.
From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2014
Circumstantial evidence organized itself into what seemed like a damning case.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
