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
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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.
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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
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Aloka was found by Bhikkhu Pannakara, vice president of the center and spiritual leader of the walk, during a peace walk in India, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.—
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When the music dissolves into an ethereal, ambient soundscape and a psychedelic, spiritual journey, that’s where finding the right amount of energy, aggression, violence, and grief, to support the story and to explain things that the dialog couldn’t, was the most challenging part.—
Adjective
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Where Aytaç was large but poised, Abdi was insubstantial, scrawny, and unsteady on his feet.—
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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.—
Adjective
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New orders contracted for a fourth month and export bookings remained weak, based on the ISM data.—
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Getting too little of either can lead to weak, brittle bones, and too much can also cause problems (like kidney stones or nausea).—
Adjective
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In fact, magical life has the potential to be even more radically incorporeal than our own.—
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Indeed, in stark contrast to the incorporeal nature of a digital image, each of Winant’s photographs is, in a sense, a discrete body: a fallible material entity that boasts a hidden physical history and that will compositionally deteriorate over time.—
Adjective
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Are the clasps and hinges sturdy, not flimsy?—
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But the advent of the transfer portal has made the hope for a return investment even flimsier.—
Adjective
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The reality is that although Venezuela has vast reserves—about 17% of the entire planet’s oil is under Venezuelan soil—its production is feeble.—
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The hottest quarterback right now is Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, who had his career-best day last week against the feeble Jets.—
Adjective
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Beverly, a waitress who had another daughter and then a son in the two years after Smith was born (and eventually one more daughter), had little time for her eldest’s metaphysical ponderings.—
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The film follows a young couple (Qualley and Starkey), who inherit a farm in rural Arkansas and must conquer the demons, both physical and metaphysical, that haunt its legacy.—
Adjective
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Perverts By turns a budding chart sensation, a political firebrand, and an enthusiastic cataloguer of cryptids, Ethel Cain interrupts a stream of gossamer pop, folk, and rock records with Perverts, a droning rejection of the accessibility of her 2022 Billboard top-ten debut Preacher’s Daughter.—
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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.—
Cite this Entry
“Unsubstantial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsubstantial. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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