circumstantial evidence

American  

noun

1. proof of facts offered as evidence from which other facts are to be inferred (direct evidence ).

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circumstantial evidence British  

noun

1. indirect evidence that tends to establish a conclusion by inference Compare direct evidence

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Etymology

Origin of circumstantial evidence

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

Like a criminal trial with no eyewitnesses, the prosecution of the “Queens of Combat” question relies on a cistern’s worth of circumstantial evidence, which may or may not add up to a case.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

“It is like circumstantial evidence in a Sherlock Holmes mystery,” said Slok.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

But they do happen, with jurisdictions in many countries concluding that circumstantial evidence alone can constitute proof.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2025

But the jury of six civilians and three magistrates decided that there was enough circumstantial evidence to conclude that Jubillar was guilty of murder.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2025

We say that such Evidence-Indices is circumstantial evidence, where the legal understanding of ‘circumstantial’ essentially means ‘contextual’.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton