substantiating 1 of 2

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?

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substantiating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of substantiate
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

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2
3
4
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

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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
Verb
In his report, Prescott said there is evidence substantiating the claim that Rodriguez-Mendez was extorting Guaranda. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026 There is no public evidence substantiating the rumors referenced in the online posts. Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 21 July 2026 The lawsuit claims that, in letters sent in April, the school district reported investigating the incidents and substantiating the events. Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026 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
  • The incredible supporting cast is made up entirely of old-hand character actors, promising but underknown newcomers, and comedy- or comedy-adjacent figures with passionate niche followings and Gumby-esque limbs.
    Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 17 June 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • His strategy at United has been all about proving that an airline can be something more.
    Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The suits say continuous noise from data centers’ cooling systems and power generators is substantially interfering with local neighbors’ use and enjoyment of their property — a legal standard for proving a private nuisance.
    Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • From a security standpoint, verifying political senders can help make impersonation harder.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The report also alleges the agency has set up a policy for verifying ballot envelopes that could result in many voters not getting their ballots in time for the midterm election or at all.
    Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The contrast between relief and despair is rarely more stark than on a tennis court, where two players embodying those emotions stand across the net at the end of a match and shake hands.
    Ava Wallace, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • These timeless blue jeans are a classic piece, just as their name suggests, embodying the effortless model-off-duty look of the ‘90s.
    Melony Forcier, InStyle, 1 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Those visuals will go a long way in establishing him as a bona fide baddie.
    Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Alpha has achieved several successful launches, but setbacks and failures have kept Firefly from establishing a routine launch cadence.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Interiors are seamlessly integrated into the environment, reinforcing the very restraint and repose the hospitality group has become so renowned for since its inception in 1988.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026
  • As a result, non-Jewish sources have necessarily had to be privileged, a fact which has the unfortunate effect of reinforcing Jewish exclusion.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • That’s City Controller Kenneth Mejia, an incumbent who earned more votes than Bass, Raman or then-candidate Spencer Pratt, and who’s supportive of Raman’s approach to the city budget.
    Paris Barraza, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Ahead of the ruling, Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for the referendum campaign, pointed to the fact that the lawsuit included plaintiffs and defendants who were both supportive of the gerrymandered map.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Within 24 hours of launch, the team completed the commissioning of the payload, demonstrating how the optics system can support rapid action and decision-making in space operations.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The 2026 midterm elections are also demonstrating how issues that begin as disputes between local governments and residents can spread across the country and become part of national political identities.
    Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Substantiating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substantiating. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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