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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

instrumentarium, instrumentation, instrumented, insubordinate, insubordination, insubstantial, insubstantiality, insubstantially, insudate, insue, 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