circumstantial

[ sur-kuhm-stan-shuhl ]
See synonyms for: circumstantialcircumstantially on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. relating to or derived from circumstances: a circumstantial result;circumstantial evidence.

  2. of the nature of a circumstance or minor detail; nonessential; secondary: of circumstantial importance.

  1. dealing with or giving circumstances; detailed; particular: a circumstantial report of a business conference.

  2. pertaining to conditions of material welfare.

Origin of circumstantial

1
1590–1600; <Latin circumstanti(a) circumstance + -al1

Other words for circumstantial

Other words from circumstantial

  • cir·cum·stan·tial·ly, adverb
  • non·cir·cum·stan·tial, adjective
  • non·cir·cum·stan·tial·ly, adverb
  • un·cir·cum·stan·tial, adjective
  • un·cir·cum·stan·tial·ly, adverb

Words Nearby circumstantial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use circumstantial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for circumstantial

circumstantial

/ (ˌsɜːkəmˈstænʃəl) /


adjective
  1. of or dependent on circumstances

  2. fully detailed

  1. incidental

Derived forms of circumstantial

  • circumstantiality, noun
  • circumstantially, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012