Meaning & use
insubstantial
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Lacking enough strength, weight or solid form to be dependable, so that it seems flimsy or likely to fall apart.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: an insubstantial structure; the roof looked insubstantial.
Patterns
- look/seem insubstantial
- insubstantial structure/material
The insubstantial fence could not hold back the goats.
A thin, insubstantial bridge crossed the stream.
Her coat felt too insubstantial for a winter morning.
adjectivecomparablefigurative
Too weak, small or unconvincing to be taken seriously, as with an argument, evidence or a claim.
Grammar: Often used with abstract nouns such as evidence, argument, claim or excuse.
Patterns
- insubstantial evidence/argument/claim/excuse
The judge dismissed the case because the evidence was insubstantial.
His excuse for being late sounded insubstantial.
The report's conclusions rest on an insubstantial argument.
adjectivecomparableliterary
Not real or solid, as if made of air or thought, like a ghost or shadow.
Grammar: Literary use for things that seem to have no physical substance.
Patterns
- an insubstantial ghost/shadow/figure
The figure in the mist seemed insubstantial, almost a ghost.
Clouds drifted in insubstantial wisps over the hills.
His memories of the town became insubstantial over time.
Word forms
| comparative | more insubstantial |
|---|---|
| superlative | most insubstantial |
Common combinations
- insubstantial evidence
- The case failed due to insubstantial evidence.
- insubstantial argument
- Critics called the proposal an insubstantial argument for change.
- insubstantial meal
- Soup alone is an insubstantial meal for a hungry hiker.
- insubstantial structure
- The shed was an insubstantial structure that shook in the wind.
- seem insubstantial
- Next to the mountain, the cabin seemed insubstantial.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flimsy
- Flimsy is more informal and usually describes things that are poorly made, while insubstantial is more formal.
- slight
- Slight means small in degree or size and does not imply unreliability the way insubstantial does.
- feeble
- Feeble suggests weakness in a person or an effort, whereas insubstantial suggests a lack of solid content.
- tenuous
- Tenuous is used for thin connections or links that are barely there, which is narrower than insubstantial.
Opposites
Word family
- substance noun
- material, or real importance and meaning
- substantial adjective
- large, solid or important
- insubstantiality noun
- the quality of being insubstantial
- insubstantially adverb
- in a weak or flimsy way
Commonly confused: insubstantial or unsubstantiated? insubstantial or insignificant?
insubstantial vs unsubstantiated
Unsubstantiated means not supported by proof, as in an unsubstantiated rumor, whereas insubstantial means lacking weight or solidity.
insubstantial vs insignificant
Insignificant means unimportant, while insubstantial means lacking solid form or strength.
Practice
The lawyer called the witness's story ___ because it lacked any solid details.
Choose one answer.
Insubstantial means too weak or flimsy to be convincing, which fits a story without solid details. The other three would suggest the story was strong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “insubstantial”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.