Antievidentiary

Antievidentiary is an adjective used to describe things that oppose, undermine, or suppress evidence. The term is uncommon in formal dictionaries but appears in legal commentary, scientific critique, and rhetorical analysis to denote practices or claims that reduce or discredit evidentiary value rather than contribute to it.

In legal writing, antievidentiary effects may arise when information is withheld, documents are privileged or sealed, or arguments rely on irrelevance or misleading premises to avoid admitting relevant facts. In science and critique, an antievidentiary stance refers to disregarding contrary data, selective reporting, or framing that diminishes the impact of evidence.

Examples include policies or procedures that shield data with privilege, publications that omit disconfirming results, or advocacy that prioritizes narrative over evidence. The opposite concept is evidentiary, meaning relating to or provided as evidence, with issues of relevance, admissibility, and persuasiveness depending on the evidentiary standard.

Etymology: from anti- (against) + evidentiary (relating to evidence). Related terms include evidentiary, relevance, admissibility, and evidential reasoning. The term is primarily found in analytical discussion rather than everyday language.