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insubstantial

in·sub·stan·tial
I i

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [in-suh b-stan-shuh l]
    • /ˌɪn səbˈstæn ʃəl/
    • /ˌɪn.səbˈstæn.ʃəl/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [in-suh b-stan-shuh l]
    • /ˌɪn səbˈstæn ʃəl/

Definitions of insubstantial word

  • adjective insubstantial not substantial or real; lacking substance: an insubstantial world of dreams. 1
  • adjective insubstantial not solid or firm; weak; flimsy. 1
  • adjective insubstantial not substantial in amount or size; inconsiderable: an insubstantial sum. 1
  • noun insubstantial Lacking strength and solidity. 1
  • adjective insubstantial flimsy, lacking solidity 1
  • adjective insubstantial trivial, not considerable 1
See all 13 definitions of insubstantial

Information block about the term

Origin of insubstantial

First appearance:

before 1600
One of the 39% oldest English words
From the Late Latin word insubstantiālis, dating back to 1600-10. See in-3, substantial

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Insubstantial

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Insubstantial

insubstantial popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 65% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

insubstantial usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for insubstantial

adj insubstantial

  • illusory — causing illusion; deceptive; misleading.
  • flimsy — without material strength or solidity: a flimsy fabric; a flimsy structure.
  • unreal — not real or actual.
  • fanciful — characterized by or showing fancy; capricious or whimsical in appearance: a fanciful design of butterflies and flowers.
  • tenuous — lacking a sound basis, as reasoning; unsubstantiated; weak: a tenuous argument.

adjective insubstantial

  • light — a light product, as a beer or cigarette.
  • imaginary — existing only in the imagination or fancy; not real; fancied: an imaginary illness; the imaginary animals in the stories of Dr. Seuss.
  • ephemeral — An ephemeral plant.
All 32 Synonyms of insubstantial

Antonyms for insubstantial

adj insubstantial

  • real — true; not merely ostensible, nominal, or apparent: the real reason for an act.
  • genuine — possessing the claimed or attributed character, quality, or origin; not counterfeit; authentic; real: genuine sympathy; a genuine antique.
  • strong — having, showing, or able to exert great bodily or muscular power; physically vigorous or robust: a strong boy.
  • substantial — of ample or considerable amount, quantity, size, etc.: a substantial sum of money.
  • thick — having relatively great extent from one surface or side to the opposite; not thin: a thick slice.

adjective insubstantial

  • weighty — having considerable weight; heavy; ponderous: a weighty bundle.
All 7 Antonyms of insubstantial

Top questions with insubstantial

  • what does insubstantial mean?

Related words

  • cobweb

    A cobweb is the net which a spider makes for catching insects.

  • hand waving

    insubstantial words, arguments, gestures, or actions used in an attempt to explain or persuade.

  • house of cards

    a structure or plan that is insubstantial and subject to imminent collapse, as a structure made by balancing playing cards against each other: The scheme is so overly complicated that it's likely to prove to be just another house of cards.

  • incorporeal

    not corporeal or material; insubstantial.

  • inessential

    not essential; not necessary; nonessential.

  • shatter

    to break (something) into pieces, as by a blow.
All related words to insubstantial

See also

Matching words

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