1
as in unsubstantial
being of a material lacking in sturdiness or substance
an insubstantial carton that could not possibly stand up during long-distance shipping
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spiritual
not composed of matter
energy is insubstantial
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insubstantial
Nineteen is certainly a lot lower than 42, but, um, 19 over the course of 94 episodes of television is not exactly and insubstantial amount.
—
Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Trump and Musk are truly onions made of glass: shiny orbs of one insubstantial layer over another, with nothing in the center, liable to be shattered under the slightest pressure.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
YouTube videos as addictive and insubstantial as cotton candy needed my immediate intervention.
—Michael Alcée, Hartford Courant, 13 Apr. 2025
Bashar was an ophthalmology student in London, a weak-chinned introvert who was widely seen as a bit insubstantial.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insubstantial
Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Trump and Musk are truly onions made of glass: shiny orbs of one insubstantial layer over another, with nothing in the center, liable to be shattered under the slightest pressure.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
YouTube videos as addictive and insubstantial as cotton candy needed my immediate intervention.
—Michael Alcée, Hartford Courant, 13 Apr. 2025
Bashar was an ophthalmology student in London, a weak-chinned introvert who was widely seen as a bit insubstantial.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insubstantial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insubstantial
Adjective
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Yet for all its craft, the film remains airy and unsubstantial, never quite rising to the full potential of its premise.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
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The hit isn’t unsubstantial: In 2024, textile exports to the United States accounted for 10.7 percent of China’s total textile exports, valued at $14.8 billion, and 22.7 percent of China’s total apparel exports, or $36.1 billion’s worth.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
5 May 2025
Adjective
-
The movement offered a more spiritual alternative to both futurism and communism.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
12 Sep. 2025
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And there’s also a big demographic of that group that likes spiritual music of any kind — anything devotional.—
Billboard Staff,
Billboard,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Missing pawns, cracked hourglass timers, and flimsy boxes have a way of sneaking up on you.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
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In the case of State Farm’s new NFL spot, the flimsy premise wouldn’t seem to invite multiple viewings.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In fact, magical life has the potential to be even more radically incorporeal than our own.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
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Indeed, in stark contrast to the incorporeal nature of a digital image, each of Winant’s photographs is, in a sense, a discrete body: a fallible material entity that boasts a hidden physical history and that will compositionally deteriorate over time.—
Jessica Simmons-Reid,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
Adjective
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No matter how far-fetched the premise or gossamer-thin the story, the musical invites (compels) us to go along with its essential surrealism, to travel to that dream space where everyday life suddenly moves and sounds deliriously out of this world.—
Manohla Dargis,
New York Times,
7 May 2020
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For her label Anissa Aida, designer Anissa Meddeb, who lives in the capital, makes gossamer silk blouses evoking the striped motif of handwoven fouta towels and voluminous coats inspired by the burnoose cloaks worn by Berbers.—
Sarah Khan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2020
Adjective
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This time, Scott had a less metaphysical explanation for his torment.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
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The materialist, physiological explanation for the phenomenon of panic generates a bright contrast with the philosophical and metaphysical inquiries that have Nicholas, and Clune, in their grip.—
Scott Stossel,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This is welcome news for a system plagued by various exogenous shocks — including COVID and related frothy valuations, high interest rates and the 2022 market correction, the US electoral cycle, and tariff uncertainty — that have resulted in wide bid-ask spreads repressing deal activity.—
Control Risks,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Written by Lin, Crew Girl is described as a frothy, coming-of-age teen drama about a 16-year-old female rower Teagan (Miku Martineau) who becomes the coxswain of a dysfunctional all-boys rowing team at an elite East Coast Prep School.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The institutions of the new democracy were fragile, and the military still wielded enough influence to block meaningful accountability.—
Julia Vargas Jones,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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The gown has since become too fragile to showcase and doesn’t leave the museum.—
Ariana Quihuiz,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insubstantial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insubstantial. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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