1
as in unsubstantial
being of a material lacking in sturdiness or substance
an insubstantial carton that could not possibly stand up during long-distance shipping
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spiritual
not composed of matter
energy is insubstantial
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insubstantial
But, taking these study findings from here all the way down the drug development pipeline to where there’s a safe and effective new drug on the market is expected to take a long time and a not insubstantial amount of money.
—
New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2025
With a not insubstantial piece of Mexico’s economy reliant on production stateside, a cessation of those inflows will logically impoverish a big number of those formerly sustained directly by remittances.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
If those arguments appear insubstantial, the jury verdict and injunction should stand.
—Alden Abbott, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Not insubstantial, but easily affordable for Tepper, who’s worth roughly $20 billion.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 14 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for insubstantial
New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2025
With a not insubstantial piece of Mexico’s economy reliant on production stateside, a cessation of those inflows will logically impoverish a big number of those formerly sustained directly by remittances.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
If those arguments appear insubstantial, the jury verdict and injunction should stand.
—Alden Abbott, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Not insubstantial, but easily affordable for Tepper, who’s worth roughly $20 billion.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 14 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for insubstantial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insubstantial
Adjective
-
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
Adjective
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This choice jells with the Spanish psytrance producer’s generally hard aesthetic: her intricate music — laced with a spiritual chants and loaded with kickdrum — is intense, as are looks favoring latex and snakes as accessories.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
10 Apr. 2025
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The most captivating of the three love stories is Smoke’s reunion with Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), a Hoodoo conjurer and Orisha spiritual healer who runs a small plantation store, where their infant son is buried outside under an oak tree.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The team is now knotted with the Denver Nuggets by record, 48-32, and currently the No. 5 seed in a crowded Western Conference playoff picture. Sacramento, meanwhile, has done just enough to secure a flimsy hold on the ninth seed in the West, with a middling 39-41 record.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Apr. 2025
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While compact, some hanging toiletry bags are flimsy and become lumpy when filled to capacity.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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If reason teaches that God is incorporeal, this means that God has no body; God does not physically see, nor do people see God.—
Randy L. Friedman,
The Conversation,
16 Feb. 2024
-
The digital files are incorporeal.—
BostonGlobe.com,
BostonGlobe.com,
9 June 2021
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
Adjective
-
In the 19th century, philosophers and poets dabbled with it in the pursuit of metaphysical insights.—
Ella Jeffries,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 Apr. 2025
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Beelzebub, however, is nothing but evil incarnate, first appearing as a sort of metaphysical pollution—a writhing black oil-like glob suspended in midair.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Paramedics observe that Gray is not breathing and has a small amount of blood coming from his nose and a frothy discharge coming from his mouth.—
Steve Earley,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2025
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This is light frothy entertainment with an unassailable Irish literary pedigree.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Israel Defense Forces leveled a village in northern Gaza in the days following the collapse of the fragile ceasefire that went into effect earlier this year.—
Kerem Inal,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Together these missions have let planetary scientists like me study pristine, fragile carbonaceous material from asteroids.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insubstantial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insubstantial. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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