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
  • The story seems a spiritual festival on the German-Polish border become an ensemble dramedy about healing and reinvention.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But Watts, who is well-versed in gnosticism — an esoteric, religious philosophy that places emphasis on the spiritual realm and obtaining wisdom about oneself — seemed to have had a profound impact on McCollough’s worldview.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 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
  • The heat has caused a fall in nuclear generation, with power plants forced to shut down or reduce production across the region, while wind power generation has been weak over the summer.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The state financial watchdog attributed the disbursement problems to administrative delays, weak project management, and late counterpart funding from the Congolese government.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 26 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
  • Luckily for everyone involved, the barriers were the flimsy plastic kind; otherwise, this might’ve ended up being fodder for the World Bollard Association.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Aug. 2026
  • However, her recent falling out with Lively has left that title feeling very flimsy.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of flimsy
Adjective
  • Instead of using a mirror to gather starlight, MOTHRA has many telephoto lenses, like those on a camera, which can capture faintly glowing wisps of gas and other feeble emanations across a wider field of view.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
  • By an act of war, committed with the participation of a diplomatic representative of the United States and without authority of Congress, the Government of a feeble but friendly and confiding people has been overthrown.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of feeble
Adjective
  • Majdi described his son’s birth in near-metaphysical terms, his own grief as shattering.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • That Dante lived during both the 13th and 14th centuries — and that Tosches’ movements as his novel’s protagonist take place at the start of the 21st century — means nothing in Schnabel’s meta-metaphysical realm.
    — A.D. Amorosi, SPIN, 6 Aug. 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 28 Aug. 2026.

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