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
-
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
-
Driven by Jonny Greenwood’s relentless score, the movie summons not only the images but the psycho-spiritual sensations of a country tearing itself apart.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Sarah Mullally will become the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church in January, a year after her predecessor resigned in a safeguarding scandal.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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On the strength of flimsier-than-expected wins against Clemson and Florida, LSU was +1000 to win the national title last week, sixth-best in the country.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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People make close, intense bonds when stuck in the Big Brother house together, and Vince and Morgan’s dynamic crosses more lines with each passing day, emotional cheating threatening to tip into physical even as Vince continues to hopelessly cloak his feelings in flimsy analogies and code phrases.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In fact, magical life has the potential to be even more radically incorporeal than our own.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Best Gifts for Pisces Dreamy Pisces are creative and spiritual, so a journal, art set, or metaphysical kit with all of the essentials for a seance is a great gift idea.—
Jessie Quinn,
StyleCaster,
30 Sep. 2025
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The fantastic is used to sketch out familiar story lines, but the metaphysical premise remains as vague as the dramatic stakes in the lives of the characters.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That metric topped out around 2 during the dot-com boom, and at just over 3 during the pandemic’s frothy markets and muted economy.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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And that is to say nothing of the burning crosses and the guns, the bomb threats and the gobs of hot, frothy spit.—
Andrea Williams,
Nashville Tennessean,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Netanyahu, meanwhile, stands accused of having repeatedly turned down earlier deals with Hamas to appease extreme elements within his fragile coalition government.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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With new tariffs, shifting brand strategies and a fragile financial system, the stakes could not be higher for Bangladesh in 2025.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insubstantial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insubstantial. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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