substantiate

1 to gain full recognition or acceptance of <substantiated his claim to local mountaineering fame with a photo of himself on the summit of Mount McKinley> Synonyms demonstrate, prove, show, establishRelated Words attest, authenticate, bear out, document, evidence, support, sustain, uphold; confirm, corroborate, justify, validate, verifyNear Antonyms confute, discredit, invalidate, rebut, refuteAntonyms disprove

2 to give evidence or testimony to the truth or factualness of <Mr. MacGregor couldn't substantiate that it was Peter, and not some other rabbit, in the cabbage patch> Synonyms argue, attest, authenticate, bear out, certify, corroborate, confirm, support, validate, verify, vindicateRelated Words avouch, back (up), testify (to), vouch (for), witness; guarantee, warrant; affirm, assert, aver, avow, declare, profess; demonstrate, document, establish, prove, reinforce (also reenforce)Near Antonyms contradict, gainsay; deny, disavow, disclaim; challenge, contest, dispute, questionAntonyms disprove, rebut, refute

3 to represent in visible form <the artist's intense feelings are substantiated by his paintings' bold colors and broad brush strokes> Synonyms body, epitomize, express, externalize, incarnate, incorporate, instantiate, manifest, materialize, personalize, personify, embodyRelated Words actualize, concretize, realize; exemplify, illustrate, image, objectify, symbolize, typifyAntonyms disembody

4 to show the existence or truth of by evidence <substantiate the need for a tuition increase with some concrete figures> Synonyms demonstrate, document, establish, prove, validateRelated Words back (up), buttress, circumstantiate, corroborate; evidence, evince, record, support, uphold, witness; adduce, attest, authenticate, certify, identify; confirm, sustain, verify, vouch; clinch, nail, settle; confess, depose, testifyNear Antonyms challenge, dispute, object; allege, assume, conjecture, guess, presume, surmise, suspectAntonyms disprove, rebut, refute

5 to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) <Darwin spent the rest of his life gathering evidence to substantiate his theory of the origin of species> Synonyms back, bolster, buttress, corroborate, reinforce (also reenforce), shore (up), supportRelated Words confirm, establish, prove, verify; affirm, avouch, validateNear Antonyms undercut, undermine, weaken