as in substantial
sufficiently large in size, amount, or number to merit attention
they've made substantive changes in the nightly newscast
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nominal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of substantive
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 June 2026
But of course, the systemic racism and violence at the root of those protests runs as deep as the founding of America itself, and artworks addressing those realities foster a more substantive historical reckoning today.
—Greg Allen, ARTnews.com, 7 June 2026
Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2022
Only seventeen members of Harmony, the party that represents the Russian minority and commands a substantive if declining amount of support, and two nonaffiliated members were opposed.
—Gordon F. Sander, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2022
See All Example Sentences for substantive
Adjective
The comment comes as AWS prepares to publish what may be the most substantive piece of self-critical research to emerge from a major cloud provider this year.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 June 2026
But of course, the systemic racism and violence at the root of those protests runs as deep as the founding of America itself, and artworks addressing those realities foster a more substantive historical reckoning today.
—Greg Allen, ARTnews.com, 7 June 2026
Noun
California’s climate agenda mixes the symbolic with the substantive.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2022
Only seventeen members of Harmony, the party that represents the Russian minority and commands a substantive if declining amount of support, and two nonaffiliated members were opposed.
—Gordon F. Sander, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2022
See All Example Sentences for substantive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substantive
Adjective
-
Three of the top four most substantial percentage increases are in the Mexican host cities of Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
10 Dec. 2025
-
This marks the second substantial winter storm to belt the region in less than a week.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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The system has a 60 percent chance of becoming a tropical storm, with significant impacts possible across the Deep South.—
Ben Noll,
Washington Post,
16 June 2026
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Policies of the current federal administration and in certain states have imperiled our global leadership and prospects for the next generations of aspiring scholars of science with the potential for significant damage to our nation’s public health and biomedical and industrial leadership.—
Tara Haelle,
Scientific American,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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With its joyless austerity, the dish bears almost no resemblance to actual chicken paprikás, which is boisterous and dense and, crucially, should involve a considerable portion of hearty starches to sop it all up.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
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With Wembanyama backing them up inside, the Spurs’ guards were able to put considerable pressure on the Knicks’ ball-handlers — all of which helped limit the Knicks to just 13 points in the first quarter.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
The OneXPlayer 3 does feel a little larger than the other two (already sizable) devices, given its larger screen.—
Matthew Buzzi,
PC Magazine,
14 June 2026
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But one snafu irritated a sizable portion of the more than 3,000 students gathered at Arie Crown Theater to hear the astronauts discuss their mission.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Substantive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substantive. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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