substance

[suhb-stuhns]

noun

1. that of which a thing consists; physical matter or material.

   form and substance.

2. a species of matter of definite chemical composition.

   a chalky substance.

3. controlled substance.

4. the subject matter of thought, discourse, study, etc.

   Synonyms: subject, theme

5. the actual matter of a thing, as opposed to the appearance or shadow; reality.

   Synonyms: essence

6. substantial or solid character or quality.

   claims lacking in substance.

7. consistency; body.

   soup without much substance.

8. the meaning or gist, as of speech or writing.

   Synonyms: pith, import, significance

9. something that has separate or independent existence.

10. Philosophy.

    1. something that exists by itself and in which accidents or attributes inhere; that which receives modifications and is not itself a mode; something that is causally active; something that is more than an event.

    2. the essential part of a thing; essence.

    3. a thing considered as a continuing whole.

11. possessions, means, or wealth.

    to squander one's substance.

12. Linguistics.,  the articulatory or acoustic reality or the perceptual manifestation of a word or other construction (form ).

13. a standard of weights for paper.

substance

/ ˈsʌbstəns /

noun

1. the tangible matter of which a thing consists

2. a specific type of matter, esp a homogeneous material with a definite composition

3. the essence, meaning, etc, of a written or spoken thought

4. solid or meaningful quality

5. material density

   a vacuum has no substance

6. material possessions or wealth

   a man of substance

7. philosophy

   1. the supposed immaterial substratum that can receive modifications and in which attributes and accidents inhere

   2. a thing considered as a continuing whole that survives the changeability of its properties

8. Christian Science that which is eternal

9. a euphemistic term for any illegal drug

10. with regard to the salient points

Other Word Forms

• substanceless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of substance¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin substantia “substance, essence” (literally, “that which stands under, i.e., underlies”), equivalent to sub- “under, beneath” + -stant- (stem of stāns, present participle of stāre “to stand”) + -ia noun suffix; sub-, stand, -ia; -ance

Word History and Origins

Origin of substance¹

C13: via Old French from Latin substantia, from substāre, from _sub- + stāre to stand

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in substance,

   1. concerning the essentials; substantially.

   2. actually; really.

      That is in substance how it appeared to me.

see in substance; sum and substance.

Synonym Study

See matter.

Example Sentences

The cells, known as mononuclear phagocytes, normally circulate through the body to clear harmful substances.

Read more on Science Daily

Dark matter, the mysterious substance thought to make up most of the Universe, might not be completely invisible after all.

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Staffing will include mental health clinicians, licensed vocational nurses and substance use counselors, among other medical professionals.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Critics, however, have pointed out that even though comparatively less harmful, these crackers still release toxic substances into the air.

Read more on BBC

But he struggled with injuries and was also suspended in 2016 for four games for violating the NFL's drug policy, after testing positive for a banned substance.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• amount 
• effect 
• meat 
• significance 
• strength 
• stuff 
• subject