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

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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
  • Adding something fun to your at-home altar like an incense holder, a statue of Venus/Aphrodite, or evil eye decor to stay grounded within yourself and embrace your spiritual side this month.
    — Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Along the way, cast members sit for personal fate readings and open up about relationships and losses in their own lives, then move into direct contact with shamanic ritual, a practice the format positions as central to Korean spiritual life.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 July 2026
Definition of spiritual
Adjective
  • But too few of those ideas yield satisfying conclusions, resulting in a drama that becomes treacly and insubstantial, reaching for a profundity that remains elusive.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
  • The wall was as insubstantial as a set on a film studio’s back lot.
    — Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Definition of insubstantial
Adjective
  • Similar to Spokane, the windiest periods will be during the daytime from Friday through Sunday, with weaker winds each night.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The next step came in 2009, when mathematicians Jordan Ellenberg, Akshay Venkatesh and Craig Westerland posted a preprint paper that claimed to prove a weaker version of the conjecture for every prime.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 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
  • Cheap tripods are often flimsy and can fall over and wiggle from a light breeze.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • White button-down shirts have both star power and staying power, but the key is to choose one that isn’t sheer or flimsy.
    — Tanya Sharma, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
Definition of flimsy
Adjective
  • Punk made a feeble comeback attempt, and as Rhodes went for the Disaster Kick, Punk responded with a big boot.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Jacob Fatu and The Usos’ attempts to bring Sikoa back to the family have proven feeble.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of feeble
Adjective
  • Described as a metaphysical nocturnal taxi ride rather than a documentary, the visual companion was filmed in Ghent and at a train station in Muizen, Belgium.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 31 July 2026
  • The war on language is more metaphysical than just the policing of proper social justice terminology, Williams argues.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Definition of metaphysical
Adjective
  • But a gossamer jacket tossed over a swimsuit on a breezy evening?
    — Jennifer Noyes, Air Mail, 25 Apr. 2026
  • The type of memory flashbacks that are shot at knee level, gauzy and out of focus, with a gossamer visual touch to conjure whispering, buried emotions of the past.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Feb. 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 8 Aug. 2026.

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