insubstantial

[ in-suh b-stan-shuh l ]
/ ˌɪn səbˈstæn ʃəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR insubstantial ON THESAURUS.COM

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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Origin of insubstantial

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

OTHER WORDS FROM insubstantial

in·sub·stan·ti·al·i·ty, nounin·sub·stan·tial·ly, adverb

Words nearby insubstantial

instrumentarium, instrumentation, instrumented, insubordinate, insubordination, insubstantial, insudate, insufferable, insufficiency, insufficiency disease, insufficiency of eyelids
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to insubstantial

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

Example sentences from the Web for insubstantial

British Dictionary definitions for insubstantial

insubstantial
/ (ˌɪnsəbˈstænʃəl) /

adjective

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

Derived forms of insubstantial

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