1
as in to prove
to gain full recognition or acceptance of substantiated his claim to local mountaineering fame with a photo of himself on the summit of Mount McKinley

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
as in to embody
to represent in visible form the artist's intense feelings are substantiated by his paintings' bold colors and broad brush strokes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
5
as in to reinforce
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) Darwin spent the rest of his life gathering evidence to substantiate his theory of the origin of species

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb substantiate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of substantiate are authenticate, confirm, corroborate, validate, and verify. While all these words mean "to attest to the truth or validity of something," substantiate implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention.

the claims have yet to be substantiated

When is authenticate a more appropriate choice than substantiate?

Although the words authenticate and substantiate have much in common, authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

When might confirm be a better fit than substantiate?

The meanings of confirm and substantiate largely overlap; however, confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.

confirmed the reports

In what contexts can corroborate take the place of substantiate?

While the synonyms corroborate and substantiate are close in meaning, corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

When could validate be used to replace substantiate?

While in some cases nearly identical to substantiate, validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

When would verify be a good substitute for substantiate?

The words verify and substantiate can be used in similar contexts, but verify implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at.

all statements of fact in the article have been verified

Examples 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 substantiate Unlike topical collagen, these ingredients are known to restore firmness and smooth wrinkles and have dozens of studies to substantiate this. Devon Abelman, Allure, 21 Oct. 2024 This is substantiated by the fact that the company’s gross margin in business has largely remained intact in the nine months of operations in the current fiscal at ~45% as compared to the last fiscal. Trefis Team, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 The report was substantiated in the article by Trump’s former White House chief of staff John Kelly. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2024 Internal Affairs investigators substantiated the incident as an abuse of his position. Sarah Metz, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for substantiate 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substantiate
Verb
  • These technical mishaps may prove highly consequential for Netflix; the streaming giant is scheduled to host several more high-profile sporting events in the coming months.
    Will McCurdy, PCMAG, 17 Nov. 2024
  • Ellison found junior Toray Davis for a pair of TDs and ran one in to give the Knights a 21-0 lead in the first half that proved too much for Chatfield (8-4) to overcome.
    Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 17 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Finally, 93% of the deliveries were completed with no attempt to verify the buyer’s age.
    Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • Arizona allows voters to drop off early ballots at the polls on Election Day, and those ballots must still be processed and verified before they can be tallied.
    Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The measure also targets fentanyl dealing and possession, which has come to embody the deadliest dimensions of the national opioid epidemic.
    Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
  • There was a certain amount of art that went into strategizing what information people had to be able to embody their characters, and know what their characters know without opening up any of the more sensitive material to people who didn’t need to know it.
    Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Oakland voters also appeared to be giving the green light to Measure MM, which would establish a $99 annual parcel tax in the Oakland Hills to reduce wildfire risk by thinning brush and trees, increasing fire patrols and using goats to graze overgrown areas.
    Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Since the colleges were established, students have studied at SOCCCD and entered the county workforce with greater knowledge and new skills.
    Advertorial, Orange County Register, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • This is further reinforced by research showing that 81.9% of employees agree that recognition for their contributions improves their engagement.
    Serenity Gibbons, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Such temporal variability only reinforced the Republican belief that the count was unfair.
    Chris Jackson, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • In the end, the experiment demonstrated vampire bats can convert amino acids into energy in less than 10 minutes and use it to fuel a lengthy endurance run.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024
  • While most of the top brands don’t demonstrate a correlation between views growth and TikTok Shop momentum, anti-wrinkle silicone patch brand Wrinkles Schminkles is a key exception.
    Noor Lobad, WWD, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Zhenya also checks the public records of all 50 states and confirms that he is not licensed to practice architecture anywhere in the U.S. and thus legally can’t call himself an architect.
    Suzanne Seggerman, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024
  • This confirmed that the original milk-raiding birds were passing on their methods to various flocks.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • For some horror-thriller heads, the moment might recall a similar sentiment expressed in the original Speak No Evil, Christian Tafdrup’s 2022 film about a family who gets tortured, and ultimately killed, by a sociopath who takes advantage of their middle-class politeness.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
  • On Saturday, Elvira Monk expressed relief at the prospect of arrests in her brother’s death.
    Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near substantiate

Cite this Entry

“Substantiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substantiate. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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