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
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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
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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
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4
as in establishing
to show the existence or truth of by evidence
substantiate the need for a tuition increase with some concrete figures
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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
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Recent Examples of substantiating
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
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 beyond the bullpen, the Cubs’ bench is proving to be a real weapon for Counsell.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
This development offers a new model for autonomous robotics, proving that sophisticated, large-scale tasks can be managed through simple, self-organizing interactions.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The class will focus on verifying the accuracy of sources.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
That’s the main method of verifying a mailed ballot’s legality.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The winners — an individual and an organization in each category — stand out among hundreds of nominees selected for embodying one or more of the FECK principles.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
What goes into embodying that for you?—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Disaster relief protections include a waiver of a one-time activation fee for establishing remote call forwarding.—
Cox Communications,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Among those measures was a proposal requiring any ballot measure establishing a fee to undergo a thorough analysis and calculation as to the fee amount before it is presented to voters.—
Jan Goldsmith,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Beyond the school district, various businesses and organizations are now joining in the initiative, reinforcing the message to students.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
At Ford, Heather is already reinforcing the foundation’s commitment to human rights, social justice, and democracy.—
Elizabeth Alexander,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Throughout her career, Chinese artist Cao Fei has explored every aspect of our world, demonstrating great versatility and insight in her use of a broad range of technologies and languages.—
Miuccia Prada,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
-
At least six other Department of Aviation workers were investigated for spending hours idling on the job, demonstrating incompetence, stealing city property, and lying during the investigation.—
Chris Tye,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The agency surveyed areas in Southeast Michigan, confirming that EF-1 tornadoes touched down in Ann Arbor and Lincoln Park.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Blanche could also change DOJ policy that prohibits prosecutors from even confirming the existence of an investigation and requires them to speak only through their indictments.—
Barbara McQuade,
Twin Cities,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Substantiating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substantiating. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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