UNSUBSTANTIAL Synonyms: 162 Similar and Opposite Words

unsubstantial

adjective

ˌən-səb-ˈstan(t)-shəl

Definition of unsubstantial

as in spiritual

not composed of matter as thin and unsubstantial as the wind

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in insubstantial

being of a material lacking in sturdiness or substance unsubstantial wisps of lace

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Adjective

In his work, Hujar returned again and again to the spiritual life of his sitters—an invisible presence in his images.

— Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
The principal of my Christian high school regularly attributed world happenings—terrorist attacks, presidents elected or not elected, the price of gas—to unseen spiritual warfare.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 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

But despite growing international demand for Chinese goods, domestic consumption remains a critical weak spot in the nation’s economic development.

— Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
The stock plunged 25% for its worst day on record after issuing weak preliminary results for the second quarter.

— Alex Harring, CNBC, 15 July 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

Lei's team propose that this glitch either strengthened or reoriented, or both, the magnetic field of the Blue Eye Pulsar sufficiently to trigger radio emissions, or at least make feeble radio waves that were already there detectable.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 6 July 2026
Gin up such a feeble procedural explanation for the sudden reversal that the entire sporting globe becomes incensed over the garbage-y scent of an inside job.

— Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026

Definition of feeble

Adjective

This spiritual, metaphysical, and downright weird show is ostensibly about a nun’s quest to find and destroy the Holy Grail, which will result in the deactivation of the powerful, pervasive AI that gives the series its name.

— Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 2026
In both the real and metaphysical locations of the show, the backgrounds are all painted by hand, something which was pointed out took up a lot of time due to the number of paintings in the show and due to the number of montages.

— Kambole Campbell, Variety, 25 June 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

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“Unsubstantial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsubstantial. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of unsubstantial

adjective

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