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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

  1. instrumentarium,
  2. instrumentation,
  3. instrumented,
  4. insubordinate,
  5. insubordination,
  6. insubstantiality,
  7. insubstantially,
  8. insudate,
  9. insue,
  10. insufferable

Origin of insubstantial

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

Word Origin and History for insubstantial

insubstantial

adj.

c.1600, from Medieval Latin insubstantialis, from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + substantialis (see substantial). Related: Insubstantially.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper