1
as in spiritual
not composed of matter
as thin and unsubstantial as the wind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsubstantial
The algorithm fed the Giants pitcher a savory yet unsubstantial diet of short-form content.
—
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2025
Salads Salads don’t have to feel flimsy or unsubstantial.
—Katie Workman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
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
From a personal finance perspective, people with extra cash should feel free to put an unsubstantial portion of their wealth into high-risk, high-volatility assets like crypto or meme stocks or even Super Bowl bets (thanks for the two-touchdown performance, Cooper Kupp).
—Scott Nover, Quartz, 14 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for unsubstantial
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2025
Salads Salads don’t have to feel flimsy or unsubstantial.
—Katie Workman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
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
From a personal finance perspective, people with extra cash should feel free to put an unsubstantial portion of their wealth into high-risk, high-volatility assets like crypto or meme stocks or even Super Bowl bets (thanks for the two-touchdown performance, Cooper Kupp).
—Scott Nover, Quartz, 14 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for unsubstantial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsubstantial
Adjective
-
Nearly 4 million practice tai chi, and roughly 14% of adults practice some form of mindful or spiritual meditation.—
Samantha Agate,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
-
Recently, church officials and sociologists alike have pointed to indications that young Spaniards are showing an increasing interest in their spiritual lives, with anecdotal reports of rises in conversions among young adults.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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
Adjective
-
But his father contracted pneumonia in 2011, and after two decades in prison, his body was too weak to fight it.—
Yumi Asada,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
That gap is where signal blindness, misalignment, bottlenecks, execution delays and weak learning loops quietly convert external change into our fragilities.—
Christopher Washington,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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
Adjective
-
The material isn’t flimsy, and the bottoms offer good coverage.—
Kaelin Dodge,
InStyle,
10 June 2026
-
Multiple reviewers mention the lightweight, breathable fabric that’s perfect for warm weather without feeling cheap or flimsy.—
Amanda Eyre Ward,
Travel + Leisure,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
Osa Odighizuwa won’t ever be confused for Garrett, but the 49ers are convinced their feeble pass rush will improve thanks to Odighizuwa’s interior work.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
-
The Rock People were a feeble attempt to cash in on the shapeshifting craze, as Stonedar, Rokkon, and Granita (the latter never immortalized as an action figure) could turn themselves into… er, meteors.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Mystical, metaphysical, and frequently touched by whimsy, his boundary-breaking work reflected his abiding interest in Surrealists such as Joseph Cornell, Giorgio di Chirico, and René Magritte.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
12 June 2026
-
Some of the dialogue feels like Harrison’s own metaphysical musings rather than characters’ speech.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Unsubstantial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsubstantial. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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