unsubstantial

adjective

ˌən-səb-ˈstan(t)-shəl How to pronounce unsubstantial (audio)
Definition of unsubstantialnext
1
as in spiritual
not composed of matter as thin and unsubstantial as the wind

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in insubstantial
being of a material lacking in sturdiness or substance unsubstantial wisps of lace

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in weak
lacking bodily strength an unsubstantial child who was unfit to play sports of any kind

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 unsubstantial Then again … This really does sum up Reeves’s unsubstantial performance as Jonathan Harker, whose new client is definitely up to no good. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025 Yet for all its craft, the film remains airy and unsubstantial, never quite rising to the full potential of its premise. — Leila Latif, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025 The algorithm fed the Giants pitcher a savory yet unsubstantial diet of short-form content. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2025 Still, Republicans plowed ahead with unsubstantial allegations of collusion between government officials and the company’s old regime. — Cat Zakrzewski and Cristiano Lima, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Feb. 2023 See All Example Sentences for unsubstantial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsubstantial
  1. spiritual
  2. insubstantial
  3. weak
  4. incorporeal
  5. flimsy
  6. feeble
  7. metaphysical
  8. gossamer
Adjective
  • Imam Mohammed Ali Elahi, spiritual leader of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, is considering becoming a poll chaplain for the first time.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Others hold cultural and spiritual significance, as the condor does for the Yurok Tribe in California.
    — David Ginsburg, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of spiritual
Adjective
  • On his latest, Young’s major-key meditations on love and alienation are as winsome as a bay breeze, if occasionally as insubstantial.
    — Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Tying all this to a generic RPG progression system full of constant but insubstantial upgrades and resources feels more like busywork than anything else.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of insubstantial
Adjective
  • The age-old advice of keeping your passwords secure and being wary of suspicious emails is more important than ever as hackers gain more sophisticated tools and use AI to find more of the internet’s weak points.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Analysts expect profits and assets to cover the dividend through weaker timber periods.
    — Sebastien Chasse, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of weak
Adjective
  • Followers of the Abrahamic religions are supposed to treat God as immaterial and incorporeal, yet these early Yahweh worshippers imagined him as fully embodied.
    — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Positioned as a large-scale genre event, the series updates the legendary SFX property with a contemporary political and social edge, with Shun Oguri leading the cast as a detective hunting a seemingly incorporeal killer.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
Definition of incorporeal
Adjective
  • Mohammed Annour spent much of his youth living in a flimsy shelter in a dusty, overcrowded refugee camp in east Africa, where the days were long, the food was poor and the future nonexistent.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Pack with intention Ayoub frequently sees people underestimate the value of proper packing supplies and trying to fit too much into a flimsy container.
    — Perri Ormont Blumberg, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of flimsy
Adjective
  • In 1937, Foyles started the Right Book Club, a rather feeble counterweight to Victor Gollancz’s Left Book Club.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The probe’s landing gear is designed to absorb the energy of each landing to mitigate the risk of tipping over or bouncing back into space, a real concern with the feeble and uneven gravity field on Phobos.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of feeble
Adjective
  • The latter perhaps most acutely reflected such dominant motifs in Gibson’s midcareer work as female figures, birds, and metaphysical reflectors.
    — The Editors of ARTnews, ARTnews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The best moments on records like Redemption, Blackheart, and Second Line use her knack for grand, metaphysical metaphors to charge her singing with epic stakes.
    — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of metaphysical
Adjective
  • Oakley’s spin isn’t one of those gossamer period love stories about repressed emotions — those are there, yes, but the Dashwoods are actively pressing against their station at all times.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
  • These days we are surrounded by ghosts and gossamer visions vying for our attention, trying to tell us something vital—or as mundane as to shut up already, like in my case.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of gossamer

Browse Nearby Words

unsubdued
unsubstantial
unsubstantiality
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Cite this Entry

“Unsubstantial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsubstantial. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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