evidence was lacking

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "evidence was lacking" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when discussing situations where insufficient proof or support is available for a claim or argument. For example, "The investigation concluded that evidence was lacking to support the allegations." Alternative expressions include "evidence was insufficient" and "there was a lack of evidence."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Except, again, her evidence was lacking.

The Washington Post

There was speculation that the invasive reeds were genetically different from the native plants, but the evidence was lacking.

The New York Times - Sports

Jurors acquit obviously guilty defendants for good reasons (because the evidence was lacking) and bad (because they share the prejudices of a man accused of a homophobic attack).

The New York Times - Arts

Dr. Choi said although it had been established that purines interfered with the ability to absorb uric acid, solid evidence was lacking for the low-protein diets.

The New York Times - Health

Despite the political pressure, he told colleagues at one of the meetings, they could not bring a case if the evidence was lacking.

The New York Times

Such direct evidence was lacking in Carroll as to Detroit, and, for that reason, the Court resorted to judicial notice of the commonly known facts to supply that deficiency.

Cornell University

Dr. Robert S. Janssen, director of the Centers for Disease Control's divisions of H.I.V./AIDS prevention, warned that evidence was lacking about what was driving infection in black women.

The New York Times

Bayesian analyses revealed that our results in the invisible condition were inconclusive: evidence was lacking in our data to support the null hypothesis (i.e., log(1/3) < log(BF) > log(3), see Fig. 4).

Nature

Of course, both sides in the litigation that ensued over the Hinkley groundwater contamination brought in their own scientific experts, although that was not pursued in the movie, but federal agencies whose scientists were not involved in the litigation said evidence was lacking that chromium (VI) in groundwater caused a myriad of health problems.

The New York Times - Health

For these disorders, at that time, dependable evidence was lacking everywhere.

The Journal of Headache and Pain

When the evidence was lacking, a recommendation resulting from "expert opinion" could be formulated.

Annals of Intensive Care

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider adding a prepositional phrase such as "for" or "to support" to clarify exactly what the evidence is missing for.

Common error

Do not use the preposition "of" immediately after this phrase when it functions as a predicate adjective. For example, write "evidence was lacking for the theory" instead of "evidence was lacking of the theory". If you want to use "of", use the noun form: "there was a lack of evidence".

Linguistic Context

In this construction, "evidence" serves as the subject, while "was lacking" acts as the predicate. The word "lacking" functions as a subject complement (adjective), describing the state of the evidence. According to Ludwig AI, this structure is predominantly used to qualify the validity of a statement by highlighting its lack of foundation.

Frequent in

Science

65%

News & Media

25%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Social Media

2%

Informal Conversation

5%

Wiki

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "evidence was lacking" is a sophisticated and highly common way to indicate that a claim or hypothesis lacks sufficient proof. With 60 high-quality examples found in the Ludwig database, it is clear that this expression is a favorite in Science, News and Academia. It effectively combines the noun "evidence" with a past-tense state of being to create a neutral, objective observation. Ludwig AI confirms its status as a grammatically correct and stylistically appropriate choice for formal writing, especially when detailing why certain conclusions could not be reached or why legal charges were dismissed. When using this phrase, ensure that the subject "evidence" remains singular and consider using alternatives like "insufficient evidence" if you wish to emphasize the quality of the proof rather than its total absence.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

there was a lack of evidence

A more common introductory structure using a dummy subject.

evidence was insufficient

Shifts the focus from the total lack to the inadequacy of the proof provided.

no evidence was found

Emphasizes the result of a search or investigation rather than a general state.

proof was missing

More direct and slightly less formal, suggesting a specific piece of evidence is gone.

data was lacking

Specific to empirical or scientific contexts where information is the core requirement.

evidence was non-existent

Stronger emphasis on the complete absence of any supporting facts.

supporting evidence was scarce

Indicates that while some evidence exists, it is very limited.

evidence was unavailable

Suggests evidence might exist but cannot be accessed at the moment.

documentation was lacking

Narrower focus on written records rather than general proof.

the evidence was inconclusive

Implies evidence exists but does not lead to a definitive result.

FAQs

What does "evidence was lacking" mean?

It means that there was not enough proof, or no proof at all, to support a specific claim, hypothesis or legal charge.

What is a more formal way to say "evidence was lacking"?

You can use terms like "evidence was insufficient" or "empirical support was absent".

Can I use "evidence was lacking" in scientific writing?

Yes, it is very common in scientific journals to describe gaps in research or unsupported hypotheses. For instance, "experimental evidence was lacking" is a standard academic phrase.

Is it "evidence was lacking" or "evidence were lacking"?

In standard English, "evidence" is an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb. Therefore, "evidence was lacking" is the correct form.