unsubstantial
[uhn-suh b-stan-shuh l]
- not substantial; having no foundation in fact; fanciful; insubstantial: an unsubstantial argument; unsubstantial hopes.
- without material substance: an unsubstantial ghost.
- lacking material substance; materially paltry: an unsubstantial dinner of bread and cheese.
- lacking strength or solidity; flimsy: an unsubstantial wall of cardboard.
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Origin of unsubstantial
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for unsubstantial
unreal, fragile, frail, thin, imaginary, unbelievable, vaporous, visionary, aerial, diaphanous, ethereal, filigree, inane, shadowyExamples from the Web for unsubstantial
Contemporary Examples of unsubstantial
The level of opposition to the Ryan budget among the bishops is not unsubstantial.
Historical Examples of unsubstantial
Within a minute afterwards, he was, to all outward appearance, as unsubstantial as ever.
A Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens
Were I a fat man I could not bear it, but I am as unsubstantial as they themselves.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume 2Ian Hamilton
Scott, in Old Mortality, uses it in the moral sense, "unsubstantial."
The Proverbs of ScotlandAlexander Hislop
No darkness of the sky, or concentration of unsubstantial vapour.
The Death ShotMayne Reid
That was why the glories were so unsubstantial, and why the dream must end at midnight.
A Modern CinderellaAmanda M. Douglas
unsubstantial
- lacking weight, strength, or firmness
- (esp of an argument) of doubtful validity
- of no material existence or substance; unreal
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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 unsubstantial
mid-15c., from un- (1) "not" + substantial.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper