Copy Citation
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
fo·ren·sic
fə-ˈren(t)-sik 
-ˈren-zik
-ˈren-zik
1
: belonging to, used in, or suitable to courts of judicature or to public discussion and debate
a lawyer's forensic skills
2
: argumentative, rhetorical
forensic eloquence
3
: relating to or dealing with the application of scientific knowledge to legal problems
forensic medicine
forensic science
forensic pathologist
forensic experts
1
: an argumentative exercise
2
forensics plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: the art or study of argumentative discourse
3
forensics plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: the application of scientific knowledge to legal problems
especially
: scientific analysis of physical evidence (as from a crime scene)
Did you know?
The noun forensic, meaning “an argumentative exercise” derives from the adjective forensic, whose earliest meaning in English is “belonging to, used in, or suitable to courts or to public discussion and debate.” The English word was derived from a Latin word forensic meaning “of the market place or form, public,” which in turn comes from the Latin word forum, meaning “market place, forum.”
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2023
City’s direct links to Abu Dhabi meant many major accounting firms — wary of jeopardizing rich contracts in the Gulf — were unwilling to take part in the forensic analysis of the club’s accounts, according to others involved.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2023
The accusation was fueled by forensic analysis from the DNC’s cybersecurity consultants, from CrowdStrike, detailing the potential links between the leaks and the Russian government.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Feb. 2023
And two forensic psychiatrists not involved with the case said in interviews that making plans does not exclude the possibility that a person is in thrall to psychotic delusions.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Feb. 2023
For psychiatrists, the national average is $249,760, and the figure for forensic psychiatrists, who receive extra training, was not available.
—James Brooks, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Dec. 2022
Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist, said the enormity could be a lot for authorities, especially when the public's questions aren't being answered.
—Alexis Davies, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2022
To push that line of attack, Scolnick grilled forensic psychiatrist Alexander Bardey about Rapp’s emotional state.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 19 Oct. 2022
Roy Lubit, a forensic psychiatrist who was hired to conduct an examination of Heslin and Lewis, testified to the court on Monday how terrified and worried for their personal safety the two parents are.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 2 Aug. 2022
Anchorage Daily News, 15 Nov. 2021
Her boyfriend’s brother, the kind woman from the forensic-anthropologists team who had made all the arrangements, and me and Bonnie.
—Daniel Loedel, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2021
The new method could beef up the field of hair forensics, which has a checkered history.
—Eva Frederick, Science | AAAS, 21 Nov. 2019
Norcross also claimed he was deprived of a fair trial because of perjured testimony by a ballistics expert with more than 30 year of experience working with the Baltimore police crime lab and Maryland State Police forensics division.
—Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2020
Navy officials speaking at a Pentagon press briefing Tuesday would not detail the forensics conducted after the case was reported, other than to say lessons are being learned and new best practices are being put into place.
—Abraham Mahshie, Washington Examiner, 24 Mar. 2020
Students will gain a greater understanding of biology, forensics, and epidemiology, and artists intrigued by fractal geometry can find new shapes to inform their designs.
—Popular Science, 15 Mar. 2020
Sloppy forensics, corrupt officers and haphazard investigations left few cases solved.
—Paulina Villegas, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2019
DeSouza was arrested after authorities matched a fingerprint from the state police forensics lab with those obtained from Canadian police on file for Allan Mann.
—David Owens, courant.com, 22 Aug. 2019
See More
Adjective
The rap itself is the next brain tickler, and any lyrical forensic analysis raises more questions than answers.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2023
City’s direct links to Abu Dhabi meant many major accounting firms — wary of jeopardizing rich contracts in the Gulf — were unwilling to take part in the forensic analysis of the club’s accounts, according to others involved.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2023
The accusation was fueled by forensic analysis from the DNC’s cybersecurity consultants, from CrowdStrike, detailing the potential links between the leaks and the Russian government.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Feb. 2023
And two forensic psychiatrists not involved with the case said in interviews that making plans does not exclude the possibility that a person is in thrall to psychotic delusions.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Feb. 2023
For psychiatrists, the national average is $249,760, and the figure for forensic psychiatrists, who receive extra training, was not available.
—James Brooks, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Dec. 2022
Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist, said the enormity could be a lot for authorities, especially when the public's questions aren't being answered.
—Alexis Davies, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2022
To push that line of attack, Scolnick grilled forensic psychiatrist Alexander Bardey about Rapp’s emotional state.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 19 Oct. 2022
Roy Lubit, a forensic psychiatrist who was hired to conduct an examination of Heslin and Lewis, testified to the court on Monday how terrified and worried for their personal safety the two parents are.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 2 Aug. 2022
Noun
Providence Alaska Medical Center is investigating the workplace environment of Alaska CARES, its statewide child abuse forensic clinic, after a wave of staff departures, including the entire medical staff.
—Anchorage Daily News, 15 Nov. 2021
Her boyfriend’s brother, the kind woman from the forensic-anthropologists team who had made all the arrangements, and me and Bonnie.
—Daniel Loedel, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2021
The new method could beef up the field of hair forensics, which has a checkered history.
—Eva Frederick, Science | AAAS, 21 Nov. 2019
Norcross also claimed he was deprived of a fair trial because of perjured testimony by a ballistics expert with more than 30 year of experience working with the Baltimore police crime lab and Maryland State Police forensics division.
—Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2020
Navy officials speaking at a Pentagon press briefing Tuesday would not detail the forensics conducted after the case was reported, other than to say lessons are being learned and new best practices are being put into place.
—Abraham Mahshie, Washington Examiner, 24 Mar. 2020
Students will gain a greater understanding of biology, forensics, and epidemiology, and artists intrigued by fractal geometry can find new shapes to inform their designs.
—Popular Science, 15 Mar. 2020
Sloppy forensics, corrupt officers and haphazard investigations left few cases solved.
—Paulina Villegas, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2019
DeSouza was arrested after authorities matched a fingerprint from the state police forensics lab with those obtained from Canadian police on file for Allan Mann.
—David Owens, courant.com, 22 Aug. 2019
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forensic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Phrases Containing forensic
Dictionary Entries Near forensic
Cite this Entry
“Forensic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forensic. Accessed 20 Mar. 2023.
Kids Definition
forensic
adjective
fo·ren·sic
fə-ˈren(t)-sik,
-ˈren-zik
: belonging to, used in, or suitable to courts of law or to public discussion and debate
forensically
adverb
-si-k(ə-)lē
-zi-
Medical Definition
forensic
adjective
fo·ren·sic
fə-ˈren(t)-sik
-ˈren-zik
-ˈren-zik
: relating to or dealing with the application of scientific knowledge to legal problems especially in regard to criminal evidence
a forensic pathologist
forensic experts
… a forensic technique of DNA analysis allows for the determination of whether a subject with a specific genetic profile has contributed to aggregate genomic data.—Kathy L. Hudson, The New England Journal of Medicine
Kathy L. Hudson, The New England Journal of Medicine
Legal Definition
forensic
adjective
fo·ren·sic
fə-ˈren-sik, -zik
1
: belonging to, used in, or suitable to the courts or to public discussion and debate
2
: relating to or dealing with the application of scientific knowledge (as of medicine or linguistics) to legal problems
forensic pathology
forensic experts
forensically
adverb
More from Merriam-Webster on forensic
Nglish: Translation of forensic for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of forensic for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Are You Feeling Lucky?
A charming quiz about fortunate and unfortunate w...
Take the quiz
-
Famous Novels, First Lines Quiz
Can you identify these novels by their famous fir...
Take the quiz
-
True or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something a...
Take the quiz
-
Spelling Bee Quiz
Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...
Take the quiz
Share