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Glite Dictionary
unsubstantial

unsubstantial

1 7.3
Not solid or real and having little value
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌn.səbˈstæn.ʃəl/
translation icon : insustancial
  • The ghostly figure appeared unsubstantial, as if made of mist rather than flesh.

Something substantial, unsubstantial and totally unreliable.

Examples

  • Although the city had lived in her imagination for a long time, it was as unsubstantial as a city in a story.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • A recent survey study of middle school libraries in Michigan (Mardis & Hoffman, 2007) suggested that science materials in respondents' science, mathematics, technology, and life science collections are unsubstantial and aging.

    Academic text (2007)

  • My copy of The Great Debate includes this rather unsubstantial bookmark.

    Blog text (17)

  • Love hovers above all things, unsubstantial and alluring, or cynically sought and grasped.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Former FBI Director William Webster has noted that these files are "often freighted with hearsay, rumor, innuendo, and unsubstantial allegations."

    Academic text (2000)

  • He could use a watering hole, a bit of forage for the beast between his legs, the best prospects for which would seem to be that town on the horizon, unsubstantial though it appears.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • His argument was dismissed as unsubstantial, lacking any concrete evidence or support.

  • The artist's dreamlike painting gave the scene an unsubstantial quality that captivated viewers.

Synonyms

unreal
vsunsubstantial
28 4.2

Not real, like something from a dream

means lacking material form but also includes strange or dreamlike feeling
insubstantial
vsunsubstantial
9 6.8

Not solid or strong and not filling

is the same idea stressing little or no material form
nonmaterial
vsunsubstantial
1 7.7

Has no physical form and is about ideas or feelings

is similar but stresses minimal material form rather than absolute absence
nonsubstantial
vsunsubstantial
7.0

Not solid, strong, or important

emphasizes lack of material form more than social importance
nonsubstantive
vsunsubstantial
7.0

Not important and does not affect the main point

is about lacking material form rather than only lacking relevance
unphysical
vsunsubstantial
9.1

About the mind or spirit rather than the body

covers lack of physical form but not limited to spiritual senses

Antonyms

substantial
35 5.0

Real and based on facts that can be shown

How Substantial

solid
325 1.0
substantial
35 5.0
unsubstantial
1 7.3
flimsy
25 3.8

Surface Forms

unsubstantial positive

Morphology

unsubstantial = substantial (transparent) = un + substance + ial

Negation with 'un-' applied to the clear adjective 'substantial' yields the expected opposite meaning, so the relation is directly understandable.

Etymology

The word unsubstantial combines un- ('not') and substance ('something solid or real'). So, it describes something that is not solid or not real, something without real weight or form.