Synonyms of substantial

substantial

adjective

səb-ˈstan(t)-shəl 

1

as in significant

having great meaning or lasting effect

substantial changes to the school dress code that made a lot of people unhappy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• significant
• major
• important
• historic
• big
• much
• meaningful
• monumental
• tectonic
• exceptional
• momentous
• distinguished
• consequential
• remarkable
• eventful
• weighty
• pivotal
• material
• outstanding
• earthshaking
• decisive
• serious
• notable
• earth-shattering
• noteworthy
• distinctive
• strategic
• prominent
• great
• worthy
• valuable
• seminal
• impressive
• crucial
• fatal
• worthwhile
• earnest
• sincere
• fateful
• key
• critical
• famous
• eminent
• grave
• central
• prestigious
• essential
• illustrious
• heavy
• all-important
• vital
• notorious
• renowned
• noble
• preeminent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• small
• little
• minor
• slight
• negligible
• insignificant
• trivial
• inconsiderable
• unimportant
• trifling
• inconsequential
• worthless
• petty
• paltry
• unknown
• obscure
• anonymous
• nameless
• uncelebrated

2

as in large

of a size greater than average of its kind

the amount he inherited was quite substantial, so he quit his job and set out to see the world

Synonyms & Similar Words

• large
• considerable
• sizable
• big
• huge
• great
• vast
• oversize
• handsome
• tidy
• colossal
• staggering
• tremendous
• excessive
• massive
• enormous
• voluminous
• gigantic
• hefty
• bulky
• outsize
• goodly
• ample
• immense
• grand
• major
• husky
• largish
• extravagant
• boxcar
• mammoth
• spacious
• biggish
• astronomical
• appreciable
• monumental
• stupendous
• prodigious
• gargantuan
• plentiful
• mountainous
• hulking
• humongous
• inordinate
• cosmic
• whopping
• copious
• super
• abundant
• monolithic
• exorbitant
• extreme
• cavernous
• titanic
• elephantine
• gross
• monstrous
• galactic
• herculean
• heroic
• jumbo
• thick
• bumper
• immoderate
• cyclopean
• Himalayan
• pharaonic
• vasty
• Brobdingnagian
• supersized
• walloping
• whacking
• hellacious
• commodious
• leviathan
• king-size
• capacious
• super-duper
• roomy
• Bunyanesque
• fat

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• small
• little
• smallish
• puny
• dwarf
• dinky
• tiny
• undersized
• dwarfish
• minuscule
• infinitesimal
• microscopic
• diminutive
• miniature
• mini
• wee
• teensy
• little bitty
• slight
• teeny
• minute
• shrimpy
• pocket-size
• bantam
• pygmy
• Lilliputian
• thin
• slender
• half-pint
• slim
• petite
• teensy-weensy
• teeny-weeny
• microminiature
• pint-size

3

as in physical

relating to or composed of matter

the Land of Oz turned out to be a world of dreams, even less substantial than a rainbow

Synonyms & Similar Words

• physical
• concrete
• tangible
• visible
• material
• noticeable
• apparent
• solid
• appreciable
• objective
• discernible
• perceptible
• massive
• detectable
• observable
• corporeal
• embodied
• sensible
• bodily
• phenomenal
• palpable
• heavy
• corporal
• carnal
• hefty
• bulky
• weighty
• ponderous
• seeable
• touchable
• fleshly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• immaterial
• nonmaterial
• nonphysical
• insubstantial
• unsubstantial
• incorporeal
• disembodied
• intangible
• invisible
• formless
• imperceptible
• thin
• ethereal
• bodiless
• discarnate
• unnoticeable
• tenuous
• spiritual
• impalpable
• vaporous
• insensible
• unbodied
• metaphysical
• diaphanous
• airy
• wispish
• gossamery

4

as in considerable

sufficiently large in size, amount, or number to merit attention

there's been a substantial increase in attendance at girls' volleyball games ever since the start of their winning streak

Synonyms & Similar Words

• considerable
• significant
• sizable
• major
• tremendous
• good
• huge
• substantive
• big
• respectable
• handsome
• great
• healthy
• massive
• goodly
• tidy
• largish
• biggish
• enormous
• voluminous
• hefty
• colossal
• gigantic
• immense
• bulky
• oversize
• prodigious
• monumental
• outsize
• mammoth
• astronomical
• whopping
• monstrous
• titanic
• herculean
• jumbo
• hulking
• elephantine
• bumper
• king-size

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• negligible
• nominal
• insignificant
• inconsiderable
• insubstantial
• inconsequential
• trivial
• marginal
• unimportant
• trifling
• slight
• meager
• petty
• small
• puny
• paltry
• little
• minute
• tiny
• piddling
• measly
• picayune
• undersized
• smallish
• pocket
• diminutive
• miniature
• picayunish
• bitty
• pocket-size
• pygmy
• pint-size

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of substantial

Isar didn’t obtain a substantial up-front investment from the German government to get off the ground, but German leaders are keen to frame the company’s successful launch as key to European sovereignty. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2026

One key reason for the CD surge is Korean pop, which accounts for a substantial share of the boom. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2026

The brand’s first offering is Travel Discovery Set ($135), featuring five scents enclosed in a sleek silver cigarette case, which feels substantial and heavy in the hand, like something your grandmother might have owned. — Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

There’s also a substantial Spanish-language component to the anniversary set, reflecting Beyoncé’s longstanding admiration for Latin music and the artists and cultures that have shaped it. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 4 Sep. 2026