substantive

1 of 2

adjective

sub·​stan·​tive ˈsəb-stən-tiv 

senses 3c & 4 also

səb-ˈstan-tiv 

1

: having substance : involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned

substantive discussions among world leaders

2

: considerable in amount or numbers : substantial

made substantive progress

3

a

: real rather than apparent : firm

need substantive evidence to prove her guilt

also : permanent, enduring

b

: belonging to the substance of a thing : essential

c

: expressing existence

the substantive verb is the verb to be

4

a

: having the nature or function of a noun

a substantive phrase

b

: relating to or having the character of a noun or pronominal term in logic

5

: creating and defining rights and duties

substantive law

compare procedural

6

: requiring or involving no mordant

a substantive dyeing process

7

: being a totally independent entity

substantively adverb

substantiveness noun

substantive

2 of 2

noun

sub·​stan·​tive ˈsəb-stən-tiv 

: noun

broadly : a word or word group functioning syntactically as a noun

substantivize

ˈsəb-stən-ti-ˌvīz 

transitive verb

Did you know?

Substantive and substantial are quite a pair: the two have multiple similar meanings, can both ultimately be traced back to the same Latin root (the verb substare, whose figurative meaning is best understood as “to stand firm” or “to hold out”), and both made their first appearance in English sometime in the 14th century. But though they can be used interchangeably in some contexts (one can make “substantive progress” or “substantial progress,” for example), we usually use substantial to describe things that are large in size, scope, or extent (e.g., “a substantial amount,” “substantial increase”), while substantive is more likely to be used as a synonym of significant, real, or important. Substantive change, for example, is change that makes a fundamental difference, regardless of its size. Substantive also functions in grammar-related contexts describing or referring to nouns and noun phrases.

Synonyms

Adjective

• substantial
• significant
• considerable
• sizable

Examples of substantive in a Sentence

Adjective

"This was not a drive-by P.R. stunt, and I actually thought it might be," said Representative Zach Wamp, Republican of Tennessee. "It was a substantive, in-depth discussion with our conference, and he's very effective." —Jackie Calmes & Carl Hulse, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2009

The first substantive issue that the Supreme Court considered in its Brown opinion was whether, as originally understood, the Fourteenth Amendment prohibited racial segregation in public schooling. The justices concluded that the historical record was inconclusive. —Randall Kennedy, New Republic, 5 & 12 July 2004

The common critique of art's pleasures and entertainments—that they are trivial, devoid of substantive value, and degrading of art's genuine worth—rests on ignoring this diversity by making two false assumptions: first, that there is basically one kind of aesthetic pleasure in art's entertainment and, secondly, that this pleasure is always a shallow and trivial one, which distracts us from interest in art's real meaning and truth. —Richard Shusterman, Let's Entertain: Life's Guilty Pleasures, 2000

These changes are more symbolic than substantive.

No substantive changes were made to the document.

There is no substantive reason to change the law.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Many of these issues were flagged a decade ago in the 2014 DHS Protective Mission Panel report, but substantive legislative follow-through has remained elusive. —Bydonald J. Mihalek, ABC News, 13 July 2025

The same substantive deficits afflict Louise-Parker, too, whose bright eyes and brusque wit are wasted in a role that’s villainous potential exists only in exposition. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 July 2025

Noun

First Acts: From the symbolic to the substantive, here is a look at what nine new governors elected last year have done in their first weeks in office. —Maggie Astor, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2023

With his substantive, agreeably granular bass, David Grogan gave prophetic warnings real authority. —Dallas News, 23 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French sustentif — see substantive entry 2

Noun

Middle English substantif, from Anglo-French sustentif, from sustentif, adjective, having or expressing substance, from Late Latin substantivus, from Latin substantia

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing substantive

• substantive due process
• substantive right

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

substantive

1 of 2 noun

sub·​stan·​tive ˈsəb-stən-tiv 

: a word or word group that functions in a sentence as a noun

substantival

ˌsəb-stən-ˈtī-vəl

adjective

substantive

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of, relating to, or being completely independent

2

: real rather than apparent

substantive evidence

3

: having the function of a grammatical substantive

a substantive phrase

4

: considerable in amount or numbers : substantial

made substantive progress

5

: creating and defining rights and duties

substantive law

6

: involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned

substantive discussions among world leaders

substantively adverb

Legal Definition

substantive

adjective

sub·​stan·​tive ˈsəb-stən-tiv 

1

: of or relating to a matter of substance as opposed to form or procedure

a substantive issue

the substantive instructions to the jury

was dismissed on procedural and substantive grounds

compare procedural

2

: affecting rights, duties, or causes of actions

a substantive statutory change

a substantive rule of law

3

: existing in its own right

specifically : of or relating to a substantive crime

the object of a RICO conspiracy is to violate a substantive RICO provision

—United States v. Elliot, 571 F.2d 880 (1978)