How to Use unsubstantial in a Sentence

unsubstantial

adjective
  • The two are lying in lawn chairs joking about something unsubstantial.
    — Kyndall Cunningham, Vulture, 14 May 2021
  • Yet for all its craft, the film remains airy and unsubstantial, never quite rising to the full potential of its premise.
    — Leila Latif, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Plus, researchers would still have to clear the not-unsubstantial hurdle of clearing the compound for such use in humans.
    — Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2019
  • Fredenberger says that even the language in the agreement is unsubstantial and vague.
    — Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 May 2018
  • Southerners will find an excuse to monogram just about anything, even items as small or unsubstantial as napkins or house slippers.
    — Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 24 Jan. 2018
  • Roadmaps are frequently high-level and unsubstantial.
    — Peter Bendor-Samuel, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
  • Ask Peggy Noonan if this is frivolous and unsubstantial, please.
    — Natalie Gontcharova, refinery29.com, 27 Oct. 2020
  • The role the Nuggets have played in that sudden buoyancy is not unsubstantial, but that steals only a small portion away from the Jazz’s success.
    — Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Aug. 2020
  • As unsubstantial as something like a sports championship might seem, people in Cleveland really did seem happier.
    — Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland.com, 31 Aug. 2017
  • As a result, the benefits of meditation have, in many cases, been overblown thanks to headlines harping on awesome-sounding but unsubstantial studies.
    — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 11 Sep. 2018
  • Then again … This really does sum up Reeves’s unsubstantial performance as Jonathan Harker, whose new client is definitely up to no good.
    — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Uniqlo’s AIRism briefs were extraordinarily lightweight, but the barely-there style might feel too unsubstantial.
    — Jacob Gallagher, WSJ, 6 Mar. 2018
  • Retailing for a not unsubstantial $820, the Ozzy slippers are crafted from paper thin unlined stretch nappa, which most likely feels like velvet but also highlights every detail of one’s toes.
    — Alice Newbold, Vogue, 31 Oct. 2022
  • Still, Republicans plowed ahead with unsubstantial allegations of collusion between government officials and the company’s old regime.
    — Cat Zakrzewski and Cristiano Lima, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Feb. 2023
  • This can alter the amount and types of ACE-inhibiting peptides created during fermentation2—and possibly account for kombucha's unsubstantial effect on blood pressure.
    — Md Published, Verywell Health, 27 Dec. 2025
  • While Dee’s contribution is not unsubstantial, the structure, tone, character, percussion writing, harmony and counterpoint are pure Harrison.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2020
  • With shows like Yellowjackets capturing their capacity for brutality and Big Mouth emphasizing their, well, off-the-charts horniness, gone are the days when teenage girlhood stood for all things light, frothy, and unsubstantial.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 3 Dec. 2021
  • Despite having dominated an inferior team, San Francisco held an unsubstantial lead, leaving the Niners vulnerable to another late collapse.
    — Michael Silver, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Oct. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unsubstantial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: