circumstantial

[ sur-kuhm-stan-shuhl ]

/ ˌsɜr kəmˈstæn ʃəl /

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See synonyms for: circumstantial / circumstantially on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

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

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

pertaining to conditions of material welfare.

OTHER WORDS FOR circumstantial

3 minute, thorough; exact, precise.

See synonyms for circumstantial on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of circumstantial

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

OTHER WORDS FROM circumstantial

cir·cum·stan·tial·ly, adverbnon·cir·cum·stan·tial, adjectivenon·cir·cum·stan·tial·ly, adverbun·cir·cum·stan·tial, adjective

un·cir·cum·stan·tial·ly, adverb

Words nearby circumstantial

circumspection, circumspective, circumspectly, circumstance, circumstanced, circumstantial, circumstantial evidence, circumstantiality, circumstantiate, circumstellar, circumterrestrial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use circumstantial in a sentence

We can’t see through Venus’ thick clouds, but thanks to a vast amount of circumstantial evidence scientists think it’s almost certainly still erupting.
Rumbles on Mars Raise Hopes of Underground Magma Flows|Robin George Andrews|February 1, 2021|Quanta Magazine
There are several pieces of circumstantial evidence leading scientists to suspect that our solar system suffered a dynamical instability, an event during which the giant planets’ orbits changed in sudden, dramatic fashion.
The Sight of Jupiter and Saturn Together Is a Beautiful Thing - Facts So Romantic|Sean Raymond & Sebastiaan Krijt|December 21, 2020|Nautilus
While the NYPD declined to comment on specific incidents, a spokesperson said cases often have “important circumstantial distinctions.”
What It Looks Like When the New York City Police Commissioner Has “Unchecked Power” Over Officer Discipline|by Mollie Simon, Lena V. Groeger, Eric Umansky and Adriana Gallardo|December 11, 2020|ProPublica
While there is a demand for quality supply in the region, it’s circumstantial and client-specific, said Niou, some clients are looking for the most cost-effective way of reaching people in a region where the CPMs are relatively low.
‘We’re about hiring journalists’: Insider Inc. launches third global news hub in Singapore|Lucinda Southern|September 17, 2020|Digiday

All of which offers some evidence—circumstantial, at least—that to strongly fused individuals, there is something viscerally threatening about being exposed to opposing political ideas.
The Anonymous Culture Cops of the Internet - Facts So Romantic|Jesse Singal|August 12, 2020|Nautilus
Part of that has just been circumstantial and part of that has been by design.
David Oyelowo on Playing Martin Luther King Jr., Ebola Fears, and Race in Hollywood|Marlow Stern|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A fair amount of it is biological, but a lot of it is also circumstantial.
Edie Falco on Nurse Jackie’s Tragic Relapse|Kevin Fallon|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The problem is that there is an enormous amount of both direct and circumstantial evidence to the contrary.
Hamas in the Crosshairs|Hussein Ibish|July 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The case, he said, is “built on loose circumstantial evidence.”
Lesley Herring: The Hollywood Murder Case With No Body|Christine Pelisek|March 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Still, the circumstantial case against Lieberman involved much more money and was much more transparent.
Avigdor Lieberman's Lucky Break?|Bernard Avishai|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
These stories by a round-about way, gathering in circumstantial detail as they travelled, had reached his sister.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
While a jury might refuse to convict on circumstantial evidence a detective is not so deterred.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Circumstantial evidence backed by a confession that checks on all angles is about all any jury needs to be convinced of guilt.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
I have known you for a long time, and possess the most circumstantial details about the plans you were devising.
The Border Rifles|Gustave Aimard
A public meeting was convened, and Moffat gave a circumstantial account of the information he had gathered.
Robert Moffat|David J. Deane

British Dictionary definitions for circumstantial

circumstantial

/ (ˌsɜːkəmˈstænʃəl) /

adjective

of or dependent on circumstances

fully detailed

incidental

Derived forms of circumstantial

circumstantiality, nouncircumstantially, 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

circumstantial

OTHER WORDS FOR circumstantial

Origin of circumstantial

OTHER WORDS FROM circumstantial

Words nearby circumstantial

Words related to circumstantial

How to use circumstantial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for circumstantial

Derived forms of circumstantial