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
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
Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
But a handful of late-season wins over that lineup of opponents wouldn’t have solved the problems or provided a substantive launch point for next season.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for substantive
Adjective
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
Noun
Brain rot is a slang term to describe content that has little to no artistic, educational or substantive value, according to KnowYourMeme.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
But a handful of late-season wins over that lineup of opponents wouldn’t have solved the problems or provided a substantive launch point for next season.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for substantive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substantive
Adjective
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If Pauli’s theory of neutrinos were correct, then each of these sets of reactions, both fission and fusion, would emit neutrinos each with a substantial amount of energy (in the ~MeV, or mega-electron-volt, range) to them.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
28 Oct. 2025
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And few will qualify for the New Jersey family’s tutoring job, as the listing details some substantial requirements.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Both ends of the leash will simply enjoy having people pet the therapy dog, chat with the handler, try to calm their nerves before running their big race, and, hopefully, have a significant, measurable feeling of relaxation.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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The companies that figure out how to orchestrate these cybernetic teams—where AI truly functions as a teammate rather than just a tool—will have a significant competitive advantage in the innovation economy.—
François Candelon,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Jays still face a considerable challenge in this Series.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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After considerable time, referee Cal McNeill announced that the ruling on the field — even though there had not been any indication of one — was that the ball indeed hit a Nevada player and was recovered by the Broncos.—
Jim Keyser,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Hans is engaged to a fellow performer, but Cleopatra has her eyes on Hans’s sizable inheritance.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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The Indie Gaming Boom and Democratization of Development Over the past several years, there has been a sizable uptick in the quantity and quality of independent gaming ventures.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Substantive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substantive. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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