✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

evidentiary

adjective

ev·​i·​den·​tia·​ry ˌe-və-ˈden-chə-rē How to pronounce evidentiary (audio)
-chē-ˌer-ē
1
: being, relating to, or affording evidence
photographs of evidentiary value
2
: conducted so that evidence may be presented
an evidentiary hearing

Examples of evidentiary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Officials at the press conference largely declined to delve into specifics, citing the ongoing nature of the case and the need to preserve evidentiary integrity. Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 4 Dec. 2025 Freniere opted to begin the evidentiary portion of the trial after the Thanksgiving holiday. Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 30 Nov. 2025 Comey's attorneys are set to be back in court Wednesday over an evidentiary dispute issue related to materials that Comey's attorneys contend could include privileged information and that the government should be barred from reviewing. Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2025 Theories about this abound—all have their evidentiary shortcomings—but Greenblatt agrees with a common one that sees Marlowe traveling to France and uncovering Catholic conspiracies against the Crown. Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for evidentiary

Word History

First Known Use

1780, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of evidentiary was in 1780

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Evidentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evidentiary. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.

Legal Definition

evidentiary

adjective
ev·​i·​den·​tia·​ry ˌe-və-ˈden-chə-rē, -chē-ˌer-ē How to pronounce evidentiary (audio)
1
: being, relating to, or affording evidence
photographs of evidentiary value
2
: conducted so that evidence may be presented
an evidentiary hearing
evidentiarily adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!