circumstantial

adjective

cir·​cum·​stan·​tial ˌsər-kəm-ˈstan(t)-shəl How to pronounce circumstantial (audio)
1
: belonging to, consisting in, or dependent on circumstances
a circumstantial case
circumstantial factors
circumstantial evidence
2
: pertinent but not essential : incidental
Revolutions usually happen for both structural and circumstantial reasons.A. M. S. Aly
3
: marked by careful attention to detail : abounding in factual details
a circumstantial account of the fight
4
: ceremonial
the circumstantial splendor of the coronation
circumstantially adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for circumstantial

circumstantial, minute, particular, detailed mean dealing with a matter fully and usually point by point.

circumstantial implies fullness of detail that fixes something described in time and space.

a circumstantial account of our visit

minute implies close and searching attention to the smallest details.

a minute examination of a fossil

particular implies a precise attention to every detail.

a particular description of the scene of the crime

detailed stresses abundance or completeness of detail.

a detailed analysis of the event

Examples of circumstantial in a Sentence

The evidence is purely circumstantial. The case against him is circumstantial. a circumstantial account of the meeting
Recent Examples on the Web As lead detective, he was called on to lay out the murder case for jurors, tying the forensic evidence to the circumstantial details pulled from cell tower records, social media pages and text messages. Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024 Matthew Troiano: There is circumstantial evidence … the truck … the lies … Those are all kind of circumstantial pieces that tie back to him. Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2023 Clinicians should be sensitive to all cultural, family-based, and circumstantial reasons someone might be hesitant to get vaccinated. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 19 Sep. 2023 Happiness, in other words, isn’t something that just happens, or even purely circumstantial. Emma Firth, Vogue, 14 Nov. 2023 His lawyers argued the evidence against their client is circumstantial, citing the DNA that identified Sylla’s body, and photographs, which were taken by a witness near the site where the body was found, as well as traffic cameras, Fox 5 DC reported. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 15 Sep. 2023 Now a circumstantial study by JWST—which was designed to test an instrument’s capacity more than anything else—suggests that Europa’s ocean contains carbon dioxide, a key factor in understanding the world’s potential for fostering biology. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2023 Political realignments are fragile, circumstantial things. Ben Jacobs, The New Republic, 21 Sep. 2023 Espinoza conceded in court last week the case is circumstantial, and that prosecutors can’t say exactly what happened or who did what inside the home. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'circumstantial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see circumstance

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of circumstantial was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near circumstantial

Cite this Entry

“Circumstantial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circumstantial. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

circumstantial

adjective
cir·​cum·​stan·​tial ˌsər-kəm-ˈstan-chəl How to pronounce circumstantial (audio)
1
: consisting of, relating to, or depending on circumstances
circumstantial evidence
2
: containing full details
a circumstantial account of what happened
circumstantially adverb

Legal Definition

circumstantial

adjective
cir·​cum·​stan·​tial ˌsər-kəm-ˈstan-chəl How to pronounce circumstantial (audio)
: belonging to, consisting in, or dependent on circumstances
circumstantially adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on circumstantial

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