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
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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The spiritual leader has not met a sitting US president since Barack Obama in 2016, after numerous visits to the White House since 1991.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
6 July 2025
-
Ostensibly intended to protect a church’s autonomy in choosing its spiritual leaders, the exception has since been stretched into a catch-all excuse to deny employees of religious schools all kinds of legal recourse.—
A.J. Schumann,
Sun Sentinel,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
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After speaking to my physician colleagues and hearing their earnest frustrations, there’s no doubt in my mind that the system needs reform and the association’s proposals—which are not insubstantial and would address many of the problems —are a great place to start.—
Sachin H. Jain,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
Precious metals and mining stocks were weak across both markets.—
Brendan Ahern,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
The switch coincided with DJ LeMahieu’s return from a calf injury, but accommodating the veteran gave the Yankees two weak spots in their infield.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
8 July 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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For every high-quality pair, there’s a dozen more with flimsy fasteners, scratchy fabric, and a poor fit.—
Sara Coughlin,
SELF,
2 July 2025
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In Santa Barbara, for instance, there isn’t a law requiring seismic retrofit of apartment buildings with a flimsy ground floor — often held up above a carport or garage.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
Adjective
-
Joe Biden’s disastrous June 2024 debate performance, when the nation witnessed a hoarse and feeble president losing his train of thought and struggling to finish sentences, ended his re-election campaign.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
8 July 2025
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Their feeble efforts fall flat, because the physical historical record dictates otherwise.—
Daily Southtown,
Chicago Tribune,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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Vendors will offer beads, minerals, gemstones, custom jewelry, fossils, artifacts, and metaphysical stones.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 July 2025
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The sense of evil has nothing cosmic or metaphysical about it; there’s no grandeur and no wonder to Gunn’s universe and, although there’s much discussion of the defining quality of one’s actions and choices, the film’s superheroes seem thin, constrained, and undefined.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 July 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 20 Jul. 2025.
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