substantiate

[suhb-stan-shee-eyt]

See more synonyms for substantiate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), sub·stan·ti·at·ed, sub·stan·ti·at·ing.

to establish by proof or competent evidence: to substantiate a charge.
to give substantial existence to: to substantiate an idea through action.
to affirm as having substance; give body to; strengthen: to substantiate a friendship.

Origin of substantiate

1650–60; < New Latin substantiātus (past participle of substantiāre), equivalent to Latin substanti(a) substance + -ātus -ate¹

Related formssub·stan·ti·a·ta·ble, adjectivesub·stan·ti·a·tion, nounsub·stan·ti·a·tive, adjectivesub·stan·ti·a·tor, nounnon·sub·stan·ti·a·tion, nounre·sub·stan·ti·ate, verb (used with object), re·sub·stan·ti·at·ed, re·sub·stan·ti·at·ing.re·sub·stan·ti·a·tion, nounun·sub·stan·ti·at·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms for substantiate

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1. prove, confirm, verify, validate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for substantiate

affirm, debunk, confirm, ratify, verify, prove, corroborate, demonstrate, validate, justify, materialize, incarnate, authenticate, complete, actualize, support, manifest, try, objectify, approve

Examples from the Web for substantiate

Contemporary Examples of substantiate

So, President Obama does right by making every effort to substantiate the charges against Assad.
Leslie H. Gelb: Obama Is Right on Chemical Warfare in Syria
Leslie H. Gelb
April 28, 2013
Thus, catharsis, in a physiological sense, has been difficult to substantiate, but the results are by no means conclusive.
Why Do We Cry?
Michael Trimble
January 10, 2013
If the emails released today substantiate these claims, Hunt's career could be in jeopardy.
James Murdoch Grilled at Leveson Inquiry
Mike Giglio, Peter Jukes
April 24, 2012
It's why it is so important to substantiate both the plot, and its connection to Iran.
Iran’s Covert War Against the United States
Kenneth M. Pollack
October 12, 2011
Challenged to substantiate his accusation, the MP had to withdraw, shouted down by his fellow Labour MPs.
The Charmed Life of a Traitor
Harold Evans
November 6, 2009

Historical Examples of substantiate

You have no right to permit them to live longer than to substantiate your theory.
The Monster Men
Edgar Rice Burroughs
And yet something there would surely be by which I could substantiate my story.
Danger! and Other Stories
Arthur Conan Doyle
To the end that he may substantiate his objections, he proposes to examine the prisoner.
An Outcast
F. Colburn Adams
To substantiate this claim of the mosques, a brief digression is necessary.
Travels in the Far East
Ellen Mary Hayes Peck
Now here is a fact which official records go to substantiate.
Bones
Edgar Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for substantiate

substantiate

verb (tr)

to establish as valid or genuine
to give form or real existence to

Derived Formssubstantiation, nounsubstantiative, adjectivesubstantiator, noun

Word Origin for substantiate

C17: from New Latin substantiāre, from Latin substantia substance

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 substantiate

1650s, "to make real, to give substance to," from Modern Latin substantiatus, past participle of substantiare, from Latin substantia (see substance). Meaning "to demonstrate or prove" is attested from 1803. Related: Substantiated; substantiating.