substantially

[suhb-stan-shuh-lee]

adverb

1. by an ample or considerable amount; quite a lot.

   As a professor, my workload is substantially reduced or eliminated during the summer months.

2. in a basic or essential way; fundamentally.

   The new law mandates equal pay for substantially similar work, whether at the same establishment or not.

3. in a solid or firm way; stoutly or sturdily.

   In the far north, homes take more fuel to heat and also have to be built more substantially.

4. in a corporeal or material way; physically.

   The Eucharist makes the very Person of Christ truly, really, and substantially present in the consecrated bread and wine.

Other Word Forms

• nonsubstantially adverb
• supersubstantially adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of substantially¹

substantial ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

But the tools themselves aren’t substantially boosting the productivity of American workers in the way AI enthusiasts hope they will—at least not yet.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Reform had fewer than 500 votes here in the last Senedd election in 2021 but is confident of improving substantially on that.

Read more on BBC

Fertility rates—the number of babies a woman will have in her lifetime on average—are falling and in many countries have dropped substantially below the 2.1 level needed to keep populations stable without immigration.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But high blood pressure—which two-thirds of Americans have—substantially increases dementia risk, pounding on artery walls in the heart, brain, kidneys and throughout the body.

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Without the September data, the adjustments “would be substantially damaged or prevented” if the inflation report isn’t released by that date, an administration official told the Journal.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• considerably 
• essentially 
• extensively 
• heavily 
• largely 
• materially 
• really