1
as in to prove
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
as in to embody
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
5
as in to reinforce
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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb substantiate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of substantiate are authenticate, confirm, corroborate, validate, and verify. While all these words mean "to attest to the truth or validity of something," substantiate implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention.

the claims have yet to be substantiated

When is authenticate a more appropriate choice than substantiate?

Although the words authenticate and substantiate have much in common, authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

When might confirm be a better fit than substantiate?

The meanings of confirm and substantiate largely overlap; however, confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.

confirmed the reports

In what contexts can corroborate take the place of substantiate?

While the synonyms corroborate and substantiate are close in meaning, corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

When could validate be used to replace substantiate?

While in some cases nearly identical to substantiate, validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

When would verify be a good substitute for substantiate?

The words verify and substantiate can be used in similar contexts, but verify implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at.

all statements of fact in the article have been verified

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 substantiate The brothers’ appellate lawyers filed the petition in 2023, arguing that new evidence had come to light that substantiated their claims of abuse. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 27 Feb. 2025 An internal audit of the USCCB performed by professional services firm KPMG substantiates this statement. Robert Schmad, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 27 Jan. 2025 Then the representative alluded to a rumor, never substantiated, that has circulated online for years about signatures advertised as Messi’s. Larry Holder, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025 The report found that some of Butler’s allegations were substantiated. Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for substantiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substantiate
Verb
  • At minimum, you will be required to show documents proving your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of address and lawful status.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Trump’s proposal for peace in Gaza — floated and then largely dropped in recent weeks — was a U.S. government takeover of the strip, which has proved a security and diplomatic nightmare for Israel to manage, within and from afar, for decades.
    Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The system can also verify that the individual presenting the document is both physically present and matches the ID photo, all completed remotely in minutes.
    Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • The usefulness of those rankings could require months or years to verify, and the AI co-scientist, which is still being evaluated by human scientists, is for now limited to biomedical research.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The luxury Korean skincare brand embodies how beauty can be an art form in itself.
    Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
  • Extending the sounds of different voices story after story ad infinitum, My First Time suggests that these individual moments of recognition embody a kind of collective trauma that is continually on repeat.
    Ivy G. Wilson, Artforum, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • Reuters was not immediately able to establish his identity.
    USA Today, USA Today, 1 May 2025
  • Police have yet to establish a motive for the incident.
    Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Roll a 6-foot-long piece of hog wire or concrete reinforcing wire into a 2-foot-diameter tomato cage.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 May 2025
  • It was reinforced in 2022 by the California Air Resources Board, and copied by 11 other states: New York, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware and Maryland.
    Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • In her ruling, the judge stated that the ACLU of Idaho had demonstrated a strong likelihood of success on several key claims, including that the new offenses established by the law may violate the U.S. Constitution's due process clause.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025
  • United States Immigrant rights supporters demonstrate during a May Day rally outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia on May 1, 2025.
    CBS News, CBS News, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • But officials were not able to confirm if a blown tire was at fault for the crash.
    Ron Wilkins, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Listen, many Gomez fans were skeptical when the singer confirmed her relationship with the prolific music producer back in December 2023.
    Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Yi Ming’s personal resilience and love of light is expressed in the work.
    Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
  • This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
    Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Substantiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substantiate. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

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