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
And since the lesser and insubstantial always has to give place to the greater and substantial, self-indulgent lust has no choice but to make way for our reflection of pure and perfect Love.
—
Tony Lobl, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2025
Republican lawmakers and state attorneys general have challenged the basis of those recommendations, arguing that the evidence used to support them is insubstantial.
—Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR, 1 Aug. 2025
Vague green claims won’t cut it anymore, as evidenced by a 2020 study from the European Commission, which found over half of environmental claims were insubstantial, misleading or unfounded.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 2 July 2025
These insubstantial claims did not improve much after the European powers departed.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for insubstantial
Tony Lobl, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2025
Republican lawmakers and state attorneys general have challenged the basis of those recommendations, arguing that the evidence used to support them is insubstantial.
—Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR, 1 Aug. 2025
Vague green claims won’t cut it anymore, as evidenced by a 2020 study from the European Commission, which found over half of environmental claims were insubstantial, misleading or unfounded.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 2 July 2025
These insubstantial claims did not improve much after the European powers departed.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for insubstantial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insubstantial
Adjective
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This can alter the amount and types of ACE-inhibiting peptides created during fermentation2—and possibly account for kombucha's unsubstantial effect on blood pressure.—
MD Published,
Verywell Health,
27 Dec. 2025
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Then again … This really does sum up Reeves’s unsubstantial performance as Jonathan Harker, whose new client is definitely up to no good.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Leo’s visit to Annaba, the modern-day Hippo, was a spiritual homecoming for the American pope on his second full day in Algeria.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
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Leo’s visit to Annaba, the modern-day Hippo, is a spiritual homecoming for the American pope on his second full day in Algeria.—
Nicole Winfield,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Dozens of flimsy apartment buildings collapsed; nearly fifteen hundred residents died.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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The vast majority live in flimsy tents or makeshift shelters, with no reliable supplies of the essentials for life — and very few sources of income.—
José Andrés,
semafor.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Followers of the Abrahamic religions are supposed to treat God as immaterial and incorporeal, yet these early Yahweh worshippers imagined him as fully embodied.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2026
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Positioned as a large-scale genre event, the series updates the legendary SFX property with a contemporary political and social edge, with Shun Oguri leading the cast as a detective hunting a seemingly incorporeal killer.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The type of memory flashbacks that are shot at knee level, gauzy and out of focus, with a gossamer visual touch to conjure whispering, buried emotions of the past.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
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Perverts By turns a budding chart sensation, a political firebrand, and an enthusiastic cataloguer of cryptids, Ethel Cain interrupts a stream of gossamer pop, folk, and rock records with Perverts, a droning rejection of the accessibility of her 2022 Billboard top-ten debut Preacher’s Daughter.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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The nature of their bond also lends the movie its metaphysical dimension.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2026
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Or from whatever this risibly self-serious metaphysical nonsense about performance and possession, creation and exorcism, aims to be.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Coffee selections shift with the seasons, as in a frothy, summery shakerato that pulls sweetness from agave rather than sugar, or a sultry banana bread latte.—
Chris Malloy,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Apr. 2026
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The long-lasting, frothy-looking flowers keep going all summer long, well into late fall.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But the cost in dollars is immaterial to OpenAI, which just raised $122 billion.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
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In such a scenario, the size of a warhead stockpile may prove immaterial, argued Eveleth.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insubstantial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insubstantial. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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