unsubstantiated
Americanadjective
-
not substantiated; unproved or unverified.
unsubstantiated allegations.
-
being without form or substance.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of unsubstantiated
First recorded in 1765–75; un- 1 + substantiate + -ed 2
Vocabulary lists containing unsubstantiated
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Unsubstantiated rumours have swirled on social media claiming that students in Stanford's coveted computer science programme have had trouble finding jobs.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
Unsubstantiated rumors made it all the way to American talk show host Stephen Colbert.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 26, 2024
Unsubstantiated rumors and outright falsehoods spread widely in immigrant communities ahead of the presidential election in 2020.
From New York Times • Oct. 12, 2022
Unsubstantiated conspiracy theories have run rampant in the week following Epstein's death, and speculation has often filled in for fact while the public awaits the official results of Epstein's autopsy.
From Fox News • Aug. 15, 2019
Unsubstantiated and bungled raids on young hackers and their families turned law enforcement into the Keystone Cops of cyberspace and the US Justice Department into a sworn enemy of the shareware community's most valuable members.
From Open Source Democracy by Rushkoff, Douglas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
