clear and convincing
More than likely
Clear and convincing is a legal standard of proof falling between "preponderance of the evidence" (more likely than not) and "beyond a reasonable doubt" (near certainty).
It requires evidence that makes a claim highly probable—not just slightly more likely, but substantially so.
Courts apply this middle standard in civil cases with serious consequences: fraud allegations, termination of parental rights, involuntary commitment.
The plaintiff must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted with malice.
- standard of proofRequired level of certainty
- civil litigationNon-criminal court proceedings
- civil casesNon-criminal legal disputes
- persuasive argumentReasoning that convinces others
- burden of proofDuty to prove allegations
legal standard · substantiation · lucidity · transparency · coherence · moral certainty · courtroom testimony · logical reasoning · explicitness · judicial discretion · articulation · fraud · parental rights
clear and convincinginsufficient evidence
Facts too weak to prove
preponderance of the evidence · unsubstantiated · speculative · conjectural · reasonable suspicion
clear and convincingunconvincing
Not able to persuade
unpersuasive · vague · ambiguous · dubious · murky
clear, clearly, clearness, clearer, clearest, cleared, clearing, clearance, unclear