Meanings
comparative more substantial · superlative most substantial · alternative obsolete substancial
- Having a substance; actually existing.
substantial life
- lawAddressing the substance of an injury
Substantial damages (i.e. damages set at a level that exactly covers the plaintiff's losses; synonym: compensatory damgages)
- Large in size, quantity, or value; ample; significant.
A substantial number of people went to the event.
2 more examples
He inherited a substantial amount of money from his uncle.
The blind man laughed and a substantial coin found its billet in the caretaker's never-reluctant palm.
1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries - Satisfying; having sufficient substance to be nourishing or filling.
I don't just want a snack; I need something substantial.
2 more examples
Teddy had a few crackers in his backpack, but he needed something more substantial if he was to survive a three-day trek.
Baby, instant soup doesn't really grab me / Today I need something more sub-sub-sub-substantial / A can of beans or black-eyed peas, some Nescafe and ice
1992, “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite”, in Automatic for the People, performed by R.E.M.
plural substantials · alternative obsolete substancial
- Anything having substance; an essential part.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveHaving good substance; strong; stout; solid; firm.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveof considerable importance, size, or worth
adjectiveof or relating to the real nature or essential elements of something
adjectivehaving substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary
adjectiveproviding abundant nourishment
adjectivehaving an abundant supply of money or possessions of value
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinsubstantiālis
- Old Frenchsubstanciel
- Middle Englishsubstancial
- Englishsubstantial
From Middle English substancial, substantiall, from Old French substanciel, substantiel and its etymon Latin substantiālis.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic حَقِيقِيّ
- حَقِيقِيّ (ḥaqīqiyy)not imaginary; real; veritable
Bulgarian материален, веществен
- материален (materialen)having substance, actually existing
- веществен (veštestven)having substance, actually existing
- реален (realen)not imaginary; real; veritable
- действителен (dejstvitelen)not imaginary; real; veritable
- веществен (veštestven)corporeal
- солиден (soliden)having good substance; strong; firm
- заможен (zamožen)possessed of goods or an estate
- значителен (značitelen)large in size, quantity or value
- съществен (săštestven)most important; essential
Chinese Mandarin 物質的 /物质的, 實際 /实际
- 物質的 /物质的 (wùzhì de, wùzhí de)having substance, actually existing
- 實際 /实际 (shíjì)not imaginary; real; veritable
- 殷實 (yīnshí)possessed of goods or an estate
- 大量 (dàliàng)large in size, quantity or value
Czech hmotný, opravdový
- hmotnýhaving substance, actually existing
- opravdovýnot imaginary; real; veritable
- hmotnýcorporeal
- bytelnýhaving good substance; strong; firm
- podstatnýlarge in size, quantity or value
- podstatnýmost important; essential
Finnish todellinen, todellinen
- todellinenhaving substance, actually existing
- todellinennot imaginary; real; veritable
- todellinencorporeal
- tukevahaving good substance; strong; firm
- tuhtihaving good substance; strong; firm
- vauraspossessed of goods or an estate
- huomattavalarge in size, quantity or value
- runsaslarge in size, quantity or value
- oleellinenmost important; essential
- olennainenmost important; essential
French substantiel, substantiel
- substantielhaving substance, actually existing
- substantiellarge in size, quantity or value
- substantielmost important; essential
- substantielsatisfying
German wesentlich, wesentlich
- wesentlichlarge in size, quantity or value
- wesentlichmost important; essential
- essenziellmost important; essential
- substanziellmost important; essential
Greek ουσιώδης, ουσιώδης
- ουσιώδης (ousiódis)having substance, actually existing
- ουσιώδης (ousiódis)not imaginary; real; veritable
- ουσιώδης (ousiódis)corporeal
- ουσιαστικός (ousiastikós)most important; essential
Hungarian lényeges, való
- lényegeshaving substance, actually existing
- valónot imaginary; real; veritable
- valódinot imaginary; real; veritable
- szilárdhaving good substance; strong; firm
- tartóshaving good substance; strong; firm
- gazdagpossessed of goods or an estate
- vagyonospossessed of goods or an estate
- tehetőspossessed of goods or an estate
- jómódúpossessed of goods or an estate
- tekintélyeslarge in size, quantity or value
- bőségeslarge in size, quantity or value
- lényegimost important; essential
Irish téagartha, suntasach
- téagarthahaving good substance; strong; firm
- suntasachlarge in size, quantity or value
- mórlarge in size, quantity or value
- nach beaglarge in size, quantity or value
Italian sostanziale, consistente
- sostanzialehaving substance, actually existing
- consistentecorporeal
- sostanziosohaving good substance; strong; firm
- fortehaving good substance; strong; firm
- sostanziosolarge in size, quantity or value
- considerevolelarge in size, quantity or value
- sostanzialemost important; essential
- significativomost important; essential
- notevolemost important; essential
- corpososatisfying
- sostanziososatisfying
Japanese 物質的な, 現実の
- 物質的な (busshitsu-teki na)having substance, actually existing
- 現実の (genjitsu no)having substance, actually existing
- 現実の (genjitsu no)not imaginary; real; veritable
- 実際の (jissai no)not imaginary; real; veritable
- 現実の (genjitsu no)corporeal
- 実際の (jissai no)corporeal
- 堅固な (kenko na)having good substance; strong; firm
- 頑丈な (ganjō na)having good substance; strong; firm
- 裕福な (yūfuku na)possessed of goods or an estate
- 大量の (tairyō no)large in size, quantity or value
- 実質的な (jisshitsuteki na)most important; essential
Māori whaikiko
- whaikikohaving substance, actually existing
Portuguese substancial, substancial
- substancialhaving substance, actually existing
- substancialhaving good substance; strong; firm
- substanciosohaving good substance; strong; firm
- substanciallarge in size, quantity or value
- substancialmost important; essential
Romanian substanțial
- substanțialhaving substance, actually existing
Russian веще́ственный, материа́льный
- веще́ственный (veščéstvennyj)having substance, actually existing
- материа́льный (materiálʹnyj)having substance, actually existing
- настоя́щий (nastojáščij)not imaginary; real; veritable
- реа́льный (reálʹnyj)not imaginary; real; veritable
- действи́тельный (dejstvítelʹnyj)not imaginary; real; veritable
- веще́ственный (veščéstvennyj)corporeal
- материа́льный (materiálʹnyj)corporeal
- про́чный (próčnyj)having good substance; strong; firm
- кре́пкий (krépkij)having good substance; strong; firm
- соли́дный (solídnyj)having good substance; strong; firm
- соли́дный (solídnyj)possessed of goods or an estate
- зажи́точный (zažítočnyj)possessed of goods or an estate
Scottish Gaelic susbainteach, susbainteach
- susbainteachhaving good substance; strong; firm
- susbainteachlarge in size, quantity or value
- susbainteachmost important; essential
Spanish sustancial, substancial
- sustancialhaving substance, actually existing
- substancialhaving substance, actually existing
- enjundiosohaving good substance; strong; firm
- cuantiosolarge in size, quantity or value
Cite this entry
substantial. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/substantial
“substantial.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/substantial. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “substantial,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/substantial.
Source: substantial on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.