in substance
Idioms-
In reality, essentially, as in The Archbishop of Salzburg was in substance a temporal authority as well . [Late 1300s]
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In essence, basically, as in I don't remember all the details, but in substance this was the plan . [Late 1400s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The new complaints, ruled "sufficient in substance" by a vote of 54-1, accuse her of graft and corruption while in office and of making a death threat against former ally President Ferdinand Marcos.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
“Not as just supported on paper, but that it’s supported in substance, too.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026
I wanted to privilege and respect the high school point of view, because so often, that point of view is undercut, and treated as "little" and lacking in substance.
From Salon • Sep. 22, 2023
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Kavanaugh styled himself as a brainy operator who combined intellectual firepower with affable moderation, in rhetoric if not in substance.
From Slate • Jul. 19, 2023
The details vary, the dialogue is not identical, but in substance the two accounts—thus far, at least—corroborate one another.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
