direct evidence

American  

noun

1. evidence of a witness who testifies to the truth of the fact to be proved (contrasted with circumstantial evidence).

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direct evidence British  

noun

1. law evidence, usually the testimony of a witness, directly relating to the fact in dispute Compare circumstantial evidence

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Example Sentences

So far, there is no direct evidence that removing meat advertising from public spaces leads to a shift toward more plant-based societies.

From BBC • May 3, 2026

Scientists had misunderstood the jugal bone in snakes and snake relatives for generations, and the Najash fossils gave them direct evidence to correct the record.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2026

This provided direct evidence of costal aspiration breathing, where muscles between the ribs expand and compress the chest cavity to pull air into the lungs.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

And no fossil has yet been found with stomach contents that would offer direct evidence of what they were dining on.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Archaeology provides us with direct evidence of culture in the form of pottery, pig and fish bones, and so on.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond