substantiate

verb

sub·​stan·​ti·​ate səb-ˈstan(t)-shē-ˌāt How to pronounce substantiate (audio)
substantiated; substantiating

transitive verb

1
: to give substance or form to : embody
2
: to establish by proof or competent evidence : verify
substantiate a charge
substantiation noun
substantiative adjective
Choose the Right Synonym for substantiate

confirm, corroborate, substantiate, verify, authenticate, validate mean to attest to the truth or validity of something.

confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.

confirmed the reports

corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

substantiate implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention.

the claims have yet to be substantiated

verify implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at.

all statements of fact in the article have been verified

authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

Examples of substantiate in a Sentence

substantiated his claim to local mountaineering fame with a photo of himself on the summit of Mount McKinley Mr. MacGregor couldn't substantiate that it was Peter, and not some other rabbit, in the cabbage patch.
Recent Examples on the Web According to the complaint, Musk’s termination letters to some of the executives explained that the source of their misconduct was a failure to cooperate with a government or internal investigation of Twitter, but the letters did not substantiate those allegations. Brian Fung, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Prosecutors did not say whether Smirnov's claims about the apparent ties to Russian intelligence have ever been substantiated. Robert Legare, CBS News, 20 Feb. 2024 Prosecutors tried, but failed, to convince the court that more was needed to substantiate the script. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 9 Feb. 2024 Law enforcement officers generally do not investigate systemic abuse and neglect, and protective services keeps most of its work secret and rarely substantiates complaints. Sahana Jayaraman, The Arizona Republic, 25 Jan. 2024 During the same time period, the program substantiated less than 1% of that number. Sahana Jayaraman, The Arizona Republic, 25 Jan. 2024 However, according to a letter from Interim DPW Director Richard Luna to Cumming, DPW’s human resources conducted an investigation and substantiated all claims outlined in the investigation report, although neither the synopsis nor Luna’s response specifies the extent of disciplinary action. Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2024 Roman's filing, which offered no proof to substantiate the sensational claims, called for the prosecutors to be disqualified and for the charges against him to be dismissed. Amy Gardnerand Holly Bailey The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 13 Feb. 2024 So far, Republicans have yet to produce concrete evidence that substantiates any of these allegations. Reese Gorman, Washington Examiner, 2 Jan. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of substantiate was in 1610

Dictionary Entries Near substantiate

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

substantiate

verb
sub·​stan·​ti·​ate səb-ˈstan-chē-ˌāt How to pronounce substantiate (audio)
substantiated; substantiating
1
: to give substance or form to : embody
2
: to establish by proof or evidence
substantiate a claim
substantiation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on substantiate

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