insubstantial
adjective/ˌɪnsəbˈstænʃl/
/ˌɪnsəbˈstænʃl/
- not very large, strong or important
- an insubstantial construction of wood and glue
- an insubstantial argument
- an insubstantial meal
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- (literary) not real or solid
- as insubstantial as a shadow
Word Originearly 17th cent.: from late Latin insubstantialis, from in- ‘not’ + substantialis (from substantia ‘being, essence’, from substant- ‘standing firm’, from the verb substare).
Check pronunciation:
insubstantial