1
as in spiritual
not composed of matter
as thin and unsubstantial as the wind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in insubstantial
being of a material lacking in sturdiness or substance
unsubstantial wisps of lace
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in weak
lacking bodily strength
an unsubstantial child who was unfit to play sports of any kind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsubstantial
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
Still, Republicans plowed ahead with unsubstantial allegations of collusion between government officials and the company’s old regime.
—Cat Zakrzewski and Cristiano Lima, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Feb. 2023
From a personal finance perspective, people with extra cash should feel free to put an unsubstantial portion of their wealth into high-risk, high-volatility assets like crypto or meme stocks or even Super Bowl bets (thanks for the two-touchdown performance, Cooper Kupp).
—Scott Nover, Quartz, 14 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for unsubstantial
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
Still, Republicans plowed ahead with unsubstantial allegations of collusion between government officials and the company’s old regime.
—Cat Zakrzewski and Cristiano Lima, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Feb. 2023
From a personal finance perspective, people with extra cash should feel free to put an unsubstantial portion of their wealth into high-risk, high-volatility assets like crypto or meme stocks or even Super Bowl bets (thanks for the two-touchdown performance, Cooper Kupp).
—Scott Nover, Quartz, 14 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for unsubstantial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsubstantial
Adjective
-
Across TikTok, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, Goodreads, and Reddit, reactions have focused less on the craft of fiction writing than on the spiritual subjugation of women that any media about this topic must, by nature, interrogate and include.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
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During his trial in January, prosecutors said the former actor weaponized his reputation as a Lakota medicine man, exploiting cultural traditions and spiritual beliefs to prey on Indigenous women and girls.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The wall was as insubstantial as a set on a film studio’s back lot.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Even with her strong work, the film around her always feels, at best, insubstantial, and, at worst, incomplete.—
Chase Hutchinson,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Based on the popular 1960s spy sitcom, this weak adaptation casts Steve Carell as a bumbling secret agent, with Hathaway as his more competent partner and developing love interest.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
In particular, researchers experimentally demonstrated quadsqueezing, a complex fourth-order quantum interaction previously considered too weak to observe.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Followers of the Abrahamic religions are supposed to treat God as immaterial and incorporeal, yet these early Yahweh worshippers imagined him as fully embodied.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Positioned as a large-scale genre event, the series updates the legendary SFX property with a contemporary political and social edge, with Shun Oguri leading the cast as a detective hunting a seemingly incorporeal killer.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Forget dealing with flimsy food bags—the Siyurongg Freezer Bag Holder Stands are a savvy solution that will save you time and frustration in the kitchen.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
-
These Bagsmart Clear Toiletry Bags keep everything visible and TSA-compliant, with a sturdy plastic construction that doesn’t feel flimsy or prone to tearing.—
Samantha Leal,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
So, in retrospect, [the entire Lightning project] looked pretty feeble.—
Jamie Lincoln Kitman,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
-
His visit also comes as the committee stalls on advancing Casey Means, Kennedy’s nominee for surgeon general, over her lack of medical practice experience and feeble answers on the importance of vaccination.—
Daniel Payne,
STAT,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Glenn Turner, the former owner of a pagan and metaphysical shop, is running as a member of the Green Party.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
Matarrese delves into the history underlying these two women’s longstanding feud and arrives at a tragicomic, inventive meditation on the metaphysical possibility of reconciliation and forgiveness.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The type of memory flashbacks that are shot at knee level, gauzy and out of focus, with a gossamer visual touch to conjure whispering, buried emotions of the past.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
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Perverts By turns a budding chart sensation, a political firebrand, and an enthusiastic cataloguer of cryptids, Ethel Cain interrupts a stream of gossamer pop, folk, and rock records with Perverts, a droning rejection of the accessibility of her 2022 Billboard top-ten debut Preacher’s Daughter.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsubstantial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsubstantial. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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