substantial

[suhb-stan-shuhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR substantial ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of ample or considerable amount, quantity, size, etc.: a substantial sum of money.

of a corporeal or material nature; tangible; real.

of solid character or quality; firm, stout, or strong: a substantial physique.

basic or essential; fundamental: two stories in substantial agreement.

wealthy or influential: one of the substantial men of the town.

of real worth, value, or effect: substantial reasons.

relating to the substance, matter, or material of a thing.

of or relating to the essence of a thing: the substantial parts of the ruling.

existing as or being a substance; having independent existence: a substantial being.

Philosophy. relating to or of the nature of substance or reality rather than an accident or attribute.

noun

something substantial.

Origin of substantial

1300–50; Middle English substancial < Late Latin substantiālis, equivalent to Latin substanti(a) substance + -ālis -al¹

Related formssub·stan·ti·al·i·ty, sub·stan·tial·ness, nounsub·stan·tial·ly, adverbnon·sub·stan·tial, adjectivenon·sub·stan·tial·ly, adverbnon·sub·stan·tial·ness, nounnon·sub·stan·ti·al·i·ty, nounpre·sub·stan·tial, adjectivesu·per·sub·stan·tial, adjectivesu·per·sub·stan·tial·ly, adverb

Synonyms for substantial

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR substantial ON THESAURUS.COM

3. stable, sound. 6. valid, important.

Antonyms for substantial

2. immaterial, ethereal.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for substantially

considerably, essentially, heavily, largely, extensively, materially, really, mainly, much

Examples from the Web for substantially

Contemporary Examples of substantially

The world Carver left was still a hungry one—if substantially less so.
Growth Stocks
The Daily Beast
October 17, 2014
The CDC says that the current numbers on record for the epidemic, 5,843 cases and 2,803 deaths, are “substantially underreported.”
CDC’s Worst Case Scenario: 1.4 Million Ebola Cases
Abby Haglage
September 23, 2014
The police department, despite public belief, is substantially upping patrol and investigative measures.
Sororities Finally Take Back the Night
Kelsey Meany
September 12, 2014
What has changed, substantially and perhaps for the best, is just what a nonmarital birth looks like.
Unwed Women in the United States Are Having Fewer Babies
Brandy Zadrozny
August 13, 2014
In some respects our recent wars are substantially different from those past.
The Medal of Honor Disgrace
Brian Van Reet
March 26, 2014

Historical Examples of substantially

The bill, substantially unaltered, received the Royal assent July 26, 1869.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
Furthermore, the earlier changes of each are substantially the same.
The Present Condition of Organic Nature
Thomas H. Huxley
The accounts in the various papers were substantially the same.
The Einstein See-Saw
Miles John Breuer
The projecting machine was substantially like the "taking" camera and was so used.
The Age of Invention
Holland Thompson
It is all substantially true that Mercy Lascelles has told you.
The Golden Woman
Ridgwell Cullum

British Dictionary definitions for substantially

substantial

adjective

of a considerable size or valuesubstantial funds

worthwhile; importanta substantial reform

having wealth or importance

(of food or a meal) sufficient and nourishing

solid or strong in construction, quality, or charactera substantial door

real; actual; truethe evidence is substantial

of or relating to the basic or fundamental substance or aspects of a thing

philosophy of or relating to substance rather than to attributes, accidents, or modifications

Derived Formssubstantiality (səbˌstænʃɪˈælɪtɪ) or substantialness, nounsubstantially, 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 substantially

substantial

adj.

mid-14c., "ample, sizeable," from Old French substantiel (13c.), from Latin substantialis "having substance or reality, material," from substantia (see substance). Meaning "existing, having real existence" is from late 14c.