unsubstantial

[ uhn-suhb-stan-shuhl ]
See synonyms for unsubstantial on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not substantial; having no foundation in fact; fanciful; insubstantial: an unsubstantial argument; unsubstantial hopes.

  2. without material substance: an unsubstantial ghost.

  1. lacking material substance; materially paltry: an unsubstantial dinner of bread and cheese.

  2. lacking strength or solidity; flimsy: an unsubstantial wall of cardboard.

Origin of unsubstantial

1
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at un-1, substantial

Other words from unsubstantial

  • un·sub·stan·ti·al·i·ty, noun
  • un·sub·stan·tial·ly, adverb

Words Nearby unsubstantial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use unsubstantial in a sentence

  • They’re unsubstantial, and the first few times I skied them, before snow in southwestern Colorado had substantially accumulated, I was afraid, deep down, that skiers would think I was, too.

    An Ode to Skinny Skis | Dan Schwartz | March 5, 2021 | Outside Online
  • They’re unsubstantial, and the first few times I skied them, before snow out here in southwestern Colorado had substantially accumulated, I was afraid, deep down, that skiers would think I was, too.

    An Ode to Skinny Skis | Dan Schwartz | March 5, 2021 | Outside Online
  • The level of opposition to the Ryan budget among the bishops is not unsubstantial.

    Paul Ryan’s Catholic Problem | Deal W. Hudson | August 13, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • There cannot be an unsubstantial city of demons to be seen at night, that vanishes and becomes only plain forest in the daytime?

  • One of the enemy side-slips, dives and streaks to the earth, leaving a cloud of smoke to mark his unsubstantial path.

    Tam O' The Scoots | Edgar Wallace
  • Watson's and Brooke's stories proved as unsubstantial as the astonishing romance adopted by grave de Thou.

    Sir Walter Ralegh | William Stebbing
  • I dare say it would have been all right had we been four months old, but being rather more mature, it seemed unsubstantial.

    In the Ranks of the C.I.V. | Erskine Childers
  • A cabin would be built upon the land and some unsubstantial improvements made.

    Our National Forests | Richard H. Douai Boerker

British Dictionary definitions for unsubstantial

unsubstantial

/ (ˌʌnsəbˈstænʃəl) /


adjective
  1. lacking weight, strength, or firmness

  2. (esp of an argument) of doubtful validity

  1. of no material existence or substance; unreal

Derived forms of unsubstantial

  • unsubstantiality, noun
  • unsubstantially, 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