substantial Hear it!

substantial Definition

sub·stan·tial (səb stan′s̸həl)

adjective

  1. of or having substance
  2. real; actual; true; not imaginary
  3. strong; solid; firm; stout
  4. considerable; ample; large
  5. of considerable worth or value; important
  6. having property or possessions; wealthy
  7. with regard to essential elements; in substance
  8. Philos. of, or having the nature of, substance

Etymology: ME substancial < ML substantialis < LL

noun

a substantial thing: usually used in pl.

substantial Related Forms
sub·stan′·ti·al′·ity (-s̸hē al′ə tē) noun or sub·stan′·tial·ness sub·stan′·tially adverb
substantial Synonyms

substantial

modif.

  1. Strong

    solid, firm, sturdy, stout; see strong 1, 2.

  2. Important

    valuable, extraordinary, principal; see important 1, 2.

  3. Real

    material, actual, visible; see real 2, tangible.

  4. Considerable

    ample, abundant, plentiful; see large 1, much 2.

  5. Wealthy

    affluent, well-to-do, opulent; see rich 1.

substantial Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: He has a knack for making a simple, cute song more substantial by throwing in a clever, little twist or two.

Modifies a noun

  • amount: Cornwall also produced a substantial amount of passion plays during the Middle Ages.
  • proportion: But all the same he loses quite a substantial proportion of his income.
  • sum: The re-organisation of local government will cost substantial sums.
  • saving: Stopping the scheme meant a substantial saving on admin costs.
  • contribution: The result has been the growth of a series of ventures, which now together make a substantial contribution to University statistics.
  • reduction: A substantial reduction in the top rate of tax 2. ... .

Modifying Another Word

  • fairly: This was a fairly substantial piece of action research.
  • quite: A senior U.S. official says the " flow has been quite substantial.
  • very: Such a development would be of very substantial benefit to the general position of the language.
  • already: These refugees bolstered the already substantial Rumanian population of the area.
  • rather: There are six deleted scenes, and in a break from tradition they are all rather substantial and entertaining, if not absolutely essential.
  • however: There is however substantial interdisciplinary research and collaboration between the research groups.

Infinitive complement

  • make: However, despite these problems, demand remains substantial enough to make second-hand textile export a viable option for textile reuse.

Used with adjective complement

  • remain: However, despite these problems, demand remains substantial enough to make second-hand textile export a viable option for textile reuse.
  • seem: And, nearly everything here is slight enough to make toilet tissue seem substantial.
  • look: We ate there and the food was a bit disappointing but maybe we should have tried the all-in-one pies, which looked very substantial.
  • make: In the plane of Air, the Weaver may use the raw stuff of Dreams to make substantial, permenant objects.
  • find: Checks carried out four years ago found substantial mixing of products.

Preposition: in

  • year: Reprographics costs were also substantial in the first year, making up about 10 per cent of the total.