as in supporting
serving to give support to the truth or factualness of something
without some substantiating evidence, such as a stub from a bus ticket, who's going to believe your alibi?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in proving
to gain full recognition or acceptance of
substantiated his claim to local mountaineering fame with a photo of himself on the summit of Mount McKinley
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in verifying
to give evidence or testimony to the truth or factualness of
Mr. MacGregor couldn't substantiate that it was Peter, and not some other rabbit, in the cabbage patch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in embodying
to represent in visible form
the artist's intense feelings are substantiated by his paintings' bold colors and broad brush strokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in establishing
to show the existence or truth of by evidence
substantiate the need for a tuition increase with some concrete figures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in reinforcing
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea)
Darwin spent the rest of his life gathering evidence to substantiate his theory of the origin of species
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of substantiating
Chad De Guzman, Time, 8 June 2026
The minimum proof would be a letter from a physician explaining the condition and substantiating the claim.
—Elliot Raphaelson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 May 2026
Because pain is so subjective—and because of the difficulty in substantiating conditions such as whiplash and soft-tissue damage—surgery had the benefit not just of running up the clinical expense of an accident but also of seeming to ratify its legitimacy.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Federal officials have declined to provide critical details substantiating their claim that an agent shot ICU nurse Alex Pretti in self-defense.
—Tricia Escobedo, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
Trump, without substantiating, claimed that the FBI actually ushered rioters inside the Capitol and that the individuals only pleaded guilty out of fear of getting harsher sentences.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 8 June 2026
The minimum proof would be a letter from a physician explaining the condition and substantiating the claim.
—Elliot Raphaelson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 May 2026
Because pain is so subjective—and because of the difficulty in substantiating conditions such as whiplash and soft-tissue damage—surgery had the benefit not just of running up the clinical expense of an accident but also of seeming to ratify its legitimacy.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Federal officials have declined to provide critical details substantiating their claim that an agent shot ICU nurse Alex Pretti in self-defense.
—Tricia Escobedo, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substantiating
Adjective
-
Some went after Cashman, some after Boone, some after Steinbrenner’s son Hal, and some after Aaron Judge’s non-supporting cast.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Sure, that was exacerbated, and to some degree directly caused, by the ample non-supporting cast around him, especially on the offensive line.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But as the continent moves from basic telecom services to complex data, cloud computing, and mobile financial services, that siloed infrastructure model is proving costly.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
8 June 2026
-
The Phillies are proving that a manager can make a difference.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Officials said those protocols include verifying reports of a tornado before activating the city's warning system.—
Sarah Horbacewicz,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
-
Together, these findings suggest that Google’s AI tool may be cranking out millions of wrong answers daily, with few users verifying the information.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
In contrast to their peers, who may never have heard of Elvis, the competitors have dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy to embodying the king's singing voice, mannerisms and style.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
-
In addition to embodying Swift’s usual sophisticated style, the pants had a loose silhouette that would be comfy for sitting through long discussions.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Charged with establishing the firm as one of the more disruptive in the SE.—
Dean Trevelino,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
The Geneva Accords of 1954, the international agreements that ended the First Indochina War, divided Vietnam by establishing the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), running north of the Bến Hải River.—
Pavlo Fedykovych,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Noting that Friday marked the Nasdaq Composite's steepest single-day drop since April 2025, Citi's analysts pointed to the hotter-than-expected labor market figures reinforcing expectations of potential Fed hikes later this year.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
-
Inspect fences and perform any repairs or maintenance, such as reinforcing posts or replacing rotted sections.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
Her top picks include supportive styles from traveler-favorite brands like Vionic, Chaco, Teva, and more.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
7 June 2026
-
Volunteers with the organization Free Mom Hugs offered encouragement to attendees whose families may not be as supportive.—
Eva Andersen,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
After receiving a firing order, the vehicles maneuvered into position and launched their rockets with bright flashes within three minutes, demonstrating their mobility.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
Those films revolutionized the way that Hollywood does business — demonstrating that movies could sell T-shirts and toys as well as tickets.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Substantiating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substantiating. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
