substantive

1 of 2

adjective

sub·​stan·​tive ˈsəb-stən-tiv How to pronounce substantive (audio)
senses 3c & 4 also
səb-ˈstan-tiv How to pronounce substantive (audio)
1
: having substance : involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned
substantive discussions among world leaders
2
: considerable in amount or numbers : substantial
made substantive progress
3
a
: real rather than apparent : firm
need substantive evidence to prove her guilt
b
: belonging to the substance of a thing : essential
c
: expressing existence
the substantive verb is the verb to be
4
a
: having the nature or function of a noun
a substantive phrase
b
: relating to or having the character of a noun or pronominal term in logic
5
: creating and defining rights and duties
substantive law
compare procedural
6
: requiring or involving no mordant
a substantive dyeing process
7
: being a totally independent entity
substantively adverb
substantiveness noun

substantive

2 of 2

noun

sub·​stan·​tive ˈsəb-stən-tiv How to pronounce substantive (audio)
: noun
broadly : a word or word group functioning syntactically as a noun
substantivize transitive verb

Did you know?

Substantive and substantial are quite a pair: the two have multiple similar meanings, can both ultimately be traced back to the same Latin root (the verb substare, whose figurative meaning is best understood as “to stand firm” or “to hold out”), and both made their first appearance in English sometime in the 14th century. But though they can be used interchangeably in some contexts (one can make “substantive progress” or “substantial progress,” for example), we usually use substantial to describe things that are large in size, scope, or extent (e.g., “a substantial amount,” “substantial increase”), while substantive is more likely to be used as a synonym of significant, real, or important. Substantive change, for example, is change that makes a fundamental difference, regardless of its size. Substantive also functions in grammar-related contexts describing or referring to nouns and noun phrases.

Examples of substantive in a Sentence

Adjective "This was not a drive-by P.R. stunt, and I actually thought it might be," said Representative Zach Wamp, Republican of Tennessee. "It was a substantive, in-depth discussion with our conference, and he's very effective." Jackie Calmes & Carl Hulse, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2009
The first substantive issue that the Supreme Court considered in its Brown opinion was whether, as originally understood, the Fourteenth Amendment prohibited racial segregation in public schooling. The justices concluded that the historical record was inconclusive. Randall Kennedy, New Republic, 5 & 12 July 2004
The common critique of art's pleasures and entertainments—that they are trivial, devoid of substantive value, and degrading of art's genuine worth—rests on ignoring this diversity by making two false assumptions: first, that there is basically one kind of aesthetic pleasure in art's entertainment and, secondly, that this pleasure is always a shallow and trivial one, which distracts us from interest in art's real meaning and truth. Richard Shusterman, Let's Entertain: Life's Guilty Pleasures, 2000
These changes are more symbolic than substantive. No substantive changes were made to the document. There is no substantive reason to change the law.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Spicy Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry Pull out your jar of peanut butter for this substantive option that also features soy sauce, ginger, garlic, orange juice and honey. Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 These hearings must be substantive, delving into the root causes of the attack and the industry’s vulnerabilities. Jonathan Slotkin and David Vawdrey, STAT, 14 Mar. 2024 The phrase due process would serve as his unsatisfying default answer for many substantive questions. Greg Fisher, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024 The conversation should shift from commitments to substantive action and goals, where brands and retailers actively engage in practices that promote equity and inclusivity. Erleia, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 The necessity of preserving these structures, Floyd-Thomas said, is substantive as well as symbolic. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2024 Earning his first substantive varsity experience after coming off the bench as a sophomore, Ladwig has been a leader of an 8-8 Crusaders team with a 14.9 scoring average. Zac Bellman, Journal Sentinel, 28 Jan. 2024 According to the complaint, school officials have said that substantive changes were not made to the article after Glazer’s review and that the introduction to journalism class was cut because of a lack of enrollment. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 There's no question that a lot happened in season 7 — even if a lot of substantive plot stuff seemed largely dedicated to lesser players. Darren Franich, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
First Acts: From the symbolic to the substantive, here is a look at what nine new governors elected last year have done in their first weeks in office. Maggie Astor, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2023 With his substantive, agreeably granular bass, David Grogan gave prophetic warnings real authority. Dallas News, 23 Dec. 2022 California’s climate agenda mixes the symbolic with the substantive. Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2022 Only seventeen members of Harmony, the party that represents the Russian minority and commands a substantive if declining amount of support, and two nonaffiliated members were opposed. Gordon F. Sander, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2022 But handling the situation at the southern border has already become a major substantive and communications problem for Biden’s team. W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2021 Obstruction of justice is a crime that is independent of any underlying or substantives crime that may have been committed. Joyce White Vance, Time, 25 July 2019

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French sustentif — see substantive entry 2

Noun

Middle English substantif, from Anglo-French sustentif, from sustentif, adjective, having or expressing substance, from Late Latin substantivus, from Latin substantia

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of substantive was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near substantive

Cite this Entry

“Substantive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substantive. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

substantive

1 of 2 noun
sub·​stan·​tive ˈsəb-stən-tiv How to pronounce substantive (audio)
: a word or word group that functions in a sentence as a noun
substantival
ˌsəb-stən-ˈtī-vəl
adjective

substantive

2 of 2 adjective
1
: of, relating to, or being completely independent
2
: real rather than apparent
substantive evidence
3
: having the function of a grammatical substantive
a substantive phrase
4
: considerable in amount or numbers : substantial
made substantive progress
5
: creating and defining rights and duties
substantive law
6
: involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned
substantive discussions among world leaders
substantively adverb

Legal Definition

substantive

adjective
sub·​stan·​tive ˈsəb-stən-tiv How to pronounce substantive (audio)
1
: of or relating to a matter of substance as opposed to form or procedure
a substantive issue
the substantive instructions to the jury
was dismissed on procedural and substantive grounds
compare procedural
2
: affecting rights, duties, or causes of actions
a substantive statutory change
a substantive rule of law
3
: existing in its own right
specifically : of or relating to a substantive crime
the object of a RICO conspiracy is to violate a substantive RICO provision United States v. Elliot, 571 F.2d 880 (1978)

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