weight of evidence
Cumulative persuasive force
Weight of evidence is the persuasive power of proof considered collectively—how much the accumulated facts and testimony support one side over another.
In legal contexts, jurors weigh evidence to determine which party's case is stronger: The weight of evidence favored the defendant.
The phrase also appears in scientific and everyday reasoning: The weight of evidence suggests the treatment is effective.
- burdenOppressive weight or duty
- burden of proofDuty to prove allegations
- proofDemonstration of truth
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
- expert witnessProfessional providing specialized testimony
credible · preponderance · scales · scales of justice · balance · convincing · clear and convincing · probable · threshold · tipping · tipping point · courtroom · verdict · persuasive · reasonable · doubt · strength · cumulative
- evidenceproof, admissible, findings, inadmissible, results
- evidence termscredibility, reliability, validity, verification, corroboration
- legal doctrinescollateral estoppel, strict scrutiny, equal protection, sovereign immunity, absolute immunity
- legal proofburden of proof, standard of proof, reasonable doubt, beyond reasonable doubt, clear and convincing
weight of evidencesmoking gun
Irrefutable proof of wrongdoing
slam dunk · silver bullet · proof positive · conclusive evidence · beyond reasonable doubt
weight of evidencelack of evidence
Absence of proof
insufficient evidence · conjecture · reasonable doubt · hearsay
weight, weigh, weights, weighted, weighting, weighty, weightless, weightlessness, weighs