circumstantial
Not directly proven
Circumstantial describes things relating to or depending on circumstances—the particular conditions surrounding an event.
Circumstantial evidence in law points toward a conclusion indirectly rather than proving it outright: The case against him was purely circumstantial.
A circumstantial account is detailed and thorough, attending to every surrounding particular: Her circumstantial description of the evening raised suspicions.
Dependent on prerequisites
- dependentRequiring outside support
- provisionalConditional and possibly temporary
- tentativeUncertain and provisional
- uncertainNot firmly known
hypothetical · variable · situational · contextual · qualified · relative · subject to · predicated
Not straight or immediate
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
- probativeTending to demonstrate truth
- corroborativeTending to support claims
- suggestiveHinting at impropriety
implied · presumptive · anecdotal · forensic · hearsay · deductive · inductive · inconclusive
Occurring by chance
- fortuitousHappening by lucky chance
- coincidentalOccurring together by luck
- serendipitousFortunately coincidental
- unintendedNot done on purpose
unplanned · chance · random · inadvertent · peripheral · tangential · secondary · ancillary
Clearly defined, not vague
- particularSpecific or fussy
- nuancedHaving fine distinctions
- preciseExactly correct, no error
- elaborateComplex and detailed
thorough · itemized · granular · blow-by-blow · exhaustive · meticulous · comprehensive · descriptive
conditional
Dependent on prerequisites
- dependentRequiring outside support
- provisionalConditional and possibly temporary
- tentativeUncertain and provisional
uncertain · hypothetical · variable · situational · contextual · qualified · relative · subject to · predicated · hinging
indirect
Not straight or immediate
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
- probativeTending to demonstrate truth
- corroborativeTending to support claims
suggestive · implied · presumptive · anecdotal · forensic · hearsay · deductive · inductive · inconclusive · supporting
accidental
Occurring by chance
- fortuitousHappening by lucky chance
- coincidentalOccurring together by luck
- serendipitousFortunately coincidental
unintended · unplanned · chance · random · inadvertent · peripheral · tangential · secondary · ancillary · nonessential
specific
Clearly defined, not vague
- particularSpecific or fussy
- nuancedHaving fine distinctions
- preciseExactly correct, no error
elaborate · thorough · itemized · granular · blow-by-blow · exhaustive · meticulous · comprehensive · descriptive · intricate
- crime investigationdetective, whodunit, investigation, detectives, investigator
- evidenceevidence, evidence bag, proof, admissible, findings
- investigationinvestigation, detective, evidence, clue, case
- legal termstrial, legal, appeal, lawsuit, law
- evidence termscredibility, reliability, validity, verification, corroboration
- Murder Trialprosecutor, defense attorney, guilty, innocent, jury
circumstantialdirect
Undeviating or to guide
eyewitness · firsthand · conclusive · definitive · physical
circumstantialessential
Fundamentally necessary
fundamental · central · core · primary · substantive
- circumstantial evidenceFacts requiring inference
- circumstantial caseNon-core argument marking