insubstantial
pronunciation
How to pronounce insubstantial in British English:
UK [ˌɪnsəbˈstænʃl]
How to pronounce insubstantial in American English:
US [ˌɪnsəbˈstænʃəl]
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- Adjective:
- lacking material form or substance; unreal
- lacking in nutritive value
Word Origin
- insubstantial (adj.)
- c. 1600, from Medieval Latin insubstantialis, from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + substantialis (see substantial). Related: Insubstantially.
Example
- 1. A good , if rather insubstantial , first novel .
- 2. Yet he has done more than any other government minister to underpin the king 's insubstantial aphorism .
- 3. He moved though the house , as silent and insubstantial as a shadow .
- 4. From the window , they looked as insubstantial as shadows . They were in full sigh , but not a sound did they make .
- 5. Tracking my fingertips over his olive skin , I 'm struck by the potency and fragility of blood and breath and bone these intricate , insubstantial casings that separate us , keep us alive .