insubstantial

Insubstantial is an adjective used to describe something that lacks substance in a physical sense or in a figurative sense. Physically insubstantial objects have little or no solidity, such as mist or smoke. Metaphorically, insubstantial describes arguments, evidence, plans, or claims that are weak, not well supported, or lacking significance.

Etymology and related forms: The term is built from the prefix in- meaning not, attached to substantial. Substantial itself derives from Latin substantus “standing under, having substance.” A related noun is insubstantiality, used to discuss the quality or state of being insubstantial.

Usage and nuance: In literary and everyday usage, insubstantial can convey transience or fragility, whether describing a physical haze or a rhetorical point that fails to persuade. In philosophy and criticism, it contrasts with the notion of substance or substantiality, highlighting the difference between things that are real or concrete and things that are not.

Examples: The fog over the harbor was insubstantial, vanishing with the dawn. Critics dismissed the proposal as insubstantial, offering little more than vague promises rather than concrete plans.

See also: substance, substantial, insubstantiality, flimsy.