1
as in spiritual
not composed of matter
as thin and unsubstantial as the wind
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsubstantial
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
Brown dismissed it as cynical and unsubstantial.
—Lisa Mascaro, Star Tribune, 6 Mar. 2021
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
Plus, researchers would still have to clear the not-unsubstantial hurdle of clearing the compound for such use in humans.
—Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for unsubstantial
Scott Nover, Quartz, 14 Feb. 2022
Brown dismissed it as cynical and unsubstantial.
—Lisa Mascaro, Star Tribune, 6 Mar. 2021
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
Plus, researchers would still have to clear the not-unsubstantial hurdle of clearing the compound for such use in humans.
—Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for unsubstantial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsubstantial
Adjective
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Because of the revolts, Compton says, drumming and African spiritual practices were eventually criminalized in the colonies.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
23 Aug. 2025
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This is perhaps the best day of the year to think about your spiritual values or the basic things that guide you.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Republican lawmakers and state attorneys general have challenged the basis of those recommendations, arguing that the evidence used to support them is insubstantial.—
Selena Simmons-Duffin,
NPR,
1 Aug. 2025
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Vague green claims won’t cut it anymore, as evidenced by a 2020 study from the European Commission, which found over half of environmental claims were insubstantial, misleading or unfounded.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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And if tariffs only cause a one-time jump in prices, weaker purchasing power could slow the economy.—
Raul Elizalde,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Paradise lost Alaska and Crimea remain linked in some ways today, both viewed as historic Russian regions lost by weak leaders – Yeltsin, the first president of independent Russia, is reviled for recognizing Crimea as part of Ukraine after the USSR collapsed.—
Dan Morrison,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In fact, magical life has the potential to be even more radically incorporeal than our own.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
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To the casual observer, the data industry can seem incorporeal, its products conjured out of weightless bits.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Without boots on the ground, however, Western security guarantees will be as flimsy as the assurances they, and Russia, gave Ukraine in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, when Kyiv gave up its nuclear weapons.—
Peter Rutland,
The Conversation,
22 Aug. 2025
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Utopia Kitchen 4-Pack Airtight Cereal Containers Cereal bags are flimsy, prone to tearing, and don’t hold freshness well, which is why having airtight containers is a great solution.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While the bats themselves are feeble foes, the rabies virus is a brutal beast.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
13 Aug. 2025
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But the animal would also be pretty feeble at this stage — if this happened in a very short period of time, the muscle growth wouldn't be able to keep up with the expansion of the exoskeleton.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Vendors will offer beads, minerals, gemstones, custom jewelry, fossils, artifacts, and metaphysical stones.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Aug. 2025
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The surrounding wave paintings add emotional turbulence, invoking both the physical might and metaphysical vastness of the sea.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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No matter how far-fetched the premise or gossamer-thin the story, the musical invites (compels) us to go along with its essential surrealism, to travel to that dream space where everyday life suddenly moves and sounds deliriously out of this world.—
Manohla Dargis,
New York Times,
7 May 2020
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For her label Anissa Aida, designer Anissa Meddeb, who lives in the capital, makes gossamer silk blouses evoking the striped motif of handwoven fouta towels and voluminous coats inspired by the burnoose cloaks worn by Berbers.—
Sarah Khan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Unsubstantial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsubstantial. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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