as in substantial
sufficiently large in size, amount, or number to merit attention
they've made substantive changes in the nightly newscast
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nominal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of substantive
TIME, 18 Mar. 2025
Leadership changes in the fashion industry are far from new, but this week’s developments promise to impact Hollywood red carpets in a substantive way — perhaps even starting with the May 5 Met Gala.
—Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2025
Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2022
Only seventeen members of Harmony, the party that represents the Russian minority and commands a substantive if declining amount of support, and two nonaffiliated members were opposed.
—Gordon F. Sander, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2022
See All Example Sentences for substantive
Adjective
Israel balked at entering substantive negotiations over the second phase, which were meant to lead to a long-term ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the return of all hostages taken by Hamas in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that started the war.
—TIME, 18 Mar. 2025
Leadership changes in the fashion industry are far from new, but this week’s developments promise to impact Hollywood red carpets in a substantive way — perhaps even starting with the May 5 Met Gala.
—Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
California’s climate agenda mixes the symbolic with the substantive.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2022
Only seventeen members of Harmony, the party that represents the Russian minority and commands a substantive if declining amount of support, and two nonaffiliated members were opposed.
—Gordon F. Sander, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2022
See All Example Sentences for substantive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substantive
Adjective
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Bigger pieces carry a more substantial visual weight—for example, a dangly pair of earrings and a thick necklace can sometimes be too overpowering together and might end up taking away from the rest of your look.—
Abby Morgan Lebet,
Glamour,
27 Mar. 2025
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There are a few pretty substantial feature compromises/differences to take on board, though.—
John Archer,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Israel does not dispute that a significant number of Palestinian civilians have been killed in its war in Gaza.—
Nadeen Ebrahim and Ibrahim Dahman,
CNN,
23 Mar. 2025
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One 2021 analysis found a small but statistically significant increase in texts to Crisis Text Line from LGBTQ+ youth in the four weeks after anti-LGBTQ+ legislation was proposed.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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If the past is prologue, the future will feature considerable instability.—
Hersh Shefrin,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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Doing so will save you considerable cash in the long run, add to your momentum and boost your motivation.—
Kevin Harper,
Sacramento Bee,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Endeavor has been steadily unloading assets in the wake of an April 2024 announcement that private equity giant Silver Lake—already a sizable Endeavor investor—would be taking the company private at $27.5 per share.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
19 Mar. 2025
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By the numbers: In San Antonio-area congressional districts, veterans make up a sizable share of civilian federal employment, per new data from the Economic Policy Institute.—
Emily Peck,
Axios,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Substantive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substantive. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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