Meaning & use
substantiate
Last updated
Meaning
verbtransitive
To give proof or evidence that shows a claim, story, or idea is true.
Grammar: Takes an object: substantiate a claim. Often used in the passive: the claim was never substantiated.
Patterns
- substantiate a claim
- substantiate an allegation
- substantiate something with something
- be substantiated by something
The reporter could not substantiate the rumor with any documents.
New evidence substantiates the theory that the ship sank in a storm.
You need to substantiate your argument before the committee will accept it.
Word forms
| third person singular | substantiates |
|---|---|
| past tense | substantiated |
| past participle | substantiated |
| -ing form | substantiating |
Common combinations
- substantiate a claim
- The lawyer worked hard to substantiate the claim of fraud.
- substantiate an allegation
- The committee asked him to substantiate the allegation with witnesses.
- substantiated by evidence
- The finding was substantiated by evidence from three independent studies.
- fully substantiate
- The report does not fully substantiate the charges.
Synonyms and how they differ
- prove
- Stronger and more absolute: prove means show beyond doubt, while substantiate means support with enough evidence to make something believable.
- verify
- Focuses on checking that something is true or accurate; substantiate focuses on providing the supporting evidence yourself.
- corroborate
- Used when extra evidence from another source supports a statement; very close to substantiate but often in legal or formal contexts.
- support
- A general word that can mean simply help or back up; less formal and less specific than substantiate.
Opposites
Word family
- substantiation noun
- The act of providing evidence, or the evidence itself.
- substantive adjective
- Important or real; not just formal.
- substantial adjective
- Large in amount or importance.
Commonly confused: substantiate or substantive?
substantiate vs substantive
Substantive is an adjective meaning important or real. Substantiate is a verb meaning to prove with evidence.
Practice
The police could not ____ the suspect's story, so they released him.
Choose one answer.
Substantiate means provide evidence for a claim or story. Substitute means replace, and substantive and substantial are adjectives, not verbs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “substantiate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.