substantive

[ suhb-stuh n-tiv ]

/ ˈsʌb stən tɪv /

noun Grammar.

a noun.

a pronoun or other word or phrase functioning or inflected like a noun.

adjective

Grammar.

pertaining to substantives.
used in a sentence like a noun: a substantive adjective.
expressing existence: “to be” is a substantive verb.

having independent existence; independent.

belonging to the real nature or essential part of a thing; essential.

real or actual.

of considerable amount or quantity.

possessing substance; having practical importance, value, or effect: substantive issues under discussion.

Law. pertaining to the rules of right which courts are called on to apply, as distinguished from rules of procedure (opposed to adjective).

(of dye colors) attaching directly to the material without the aid of a mordant (opposed to adjective).

Origin of substantive

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin substantīvus, equivalent to Latin substant(ia) substance + -īvus -ive

Related forms

sub·stan·tive·ly, adverbsub·stan·tive·ness, nounnon·sub·stan·tive, adjectivenon·sub·stan·tive·ly, adverb

non·sub·stan·tive·ness, nounun·sub·stan·tive, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for substantively

Instead of substantively responding to these failed expectations, the ACE takes a spin-cycle approach.
Colleges Lawyer Up Before Claire McCaskill Rape Inquiry|Emily Shire|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, busing was a failure—conceptually and substantively—because of faulty liberal assumptions.
When America Said "No" to the War on Segregation|Jamelle Bouie|February 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Substantively, as opposed to stylistically, there was no New Left.
The Revolt Against the Masses and the Roots of Modern Liberalism|Fred Siegel|January 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Substantively, I think he pretty well signaled that the Justice Department isn't going to take up this case.
Obama's Race Remarks|Michael Tomasky|July 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Substantively, Tzohar has shown little interest in improving the lives of ordinary Israelis, much less Israeli women.
Will Lapid And Bennett Free Israel's "Chained Women"?|Tova Hartman, Charlie Buckholtz|March 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In linking these adjectives, you will realize one of my infatuations wherever they are substantively found.
Charles Auchester, Volume 1 of 2|Elizabeth Sheppard
Fleury differs a little from this legend, but has substantively preserved it.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 9 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
The priests are generally the most crafty of men, and many among them are substantively wicked.
The System of Nature, Volume 2|Paul Henri Thiery (Baron D'Holbach)
He would have been ugly, he substantively granted, had he not been happy; he would have been dangerous had he not been warranted.
The Awkward Age|Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for substantively

substantive

/ (ˈsʌbstəntɪv) /

noun

grammar a noun or pronoun used in place of a noun

adjective

of, relating to, containing, or being the essential element of a thing

having independent function, resources, or existence

of substantial quantity

solid in foundation or basis

grammar denoting, relating to, or standing in place of a noun

(səbˈstæntɪv) relating to the essential legal principles administered by the courts, as opposed to practice and procedureCompare adjective (def. 3)

(səbˈstæntɪv) (of a dye or colour) staining the material directly without use of a mordant

Abbreviation: s, sb, subst

Derived Formssubstantival (ˌsʌbstənˈtaɪvəl), adjectivesubstantivally, adverbsubstantively, adverbsubstantiveness, noun

Word Origin for substantive

C15: from Late Latin substantīvus, from Latin substāre to stand beneath; see 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 substantively

substantive

adj.

late 15c., "standing by itself," from Old French substantif, from Late Latin substantivum, neuter of Latin substantivus "of substance or being," from substantia (see substance). The grammatical term (late 14c.) was introduced by the French to denote the noun in contradistinction to the adjective, from Latin nomen substantivum "name or word of substance."

substantive

noun Grammar.

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of substantive

Examples from the Web for substantively

substantive

noun

adjective

Word Origin for substantive

substantive