definitions

insubstantial

[ in-suh b-stan-shuh l ]
/ ˌɪn səbˈstæn ʃəl /
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adjective

not substantial or real; lacking substance: an insubstantial world of dreams.
not solid or firm; weak; flimsy.
not substantial in amount or size; inconsiderable: an insubstantial sum.

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RELATED WORDS

illusory, flimsy, unreal, fanciful, tenuous, puny, unsubstantial, aerial, airy, chimerical, decrepit, ephemeral, feeble, fly-by-night, fragile, frail, idle, immaterial, incorporeal, infirm

Nearby words

instrumentarium, instrumentation, instrumented, insubordinate, insubordination, insubstantial, insudate, insufferable, insufficiency, insufficiency disease, insufficiency of eyelids

Origin of insubstantial

From the Late Latin word insubstantiālis, dating back to 1600–10. See in-3, substantial

Related forms

in·sub·stan·ti·al·i·ty, nounin·sub·stan·tial·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for insubstantial

British Dictionary definitions for insubstantial

insubstantial

/ (ˌɪnsəbˈstænʃəl) /

adjective

not substantial; flimsy, tenuous, or slight
imaginary; unreal

Derived Forms

insubstantiality, nouninsubstantially, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012