substansial

Substansial is an adjective used in several languages to indicate real substance, material importance, or considerable size or impact. In Indonesian and Malay, substansial is a common term meaning substantial, material, or significant, and it appears in expressions such as bukti substansial (substantial evidence) or dampak substansial (substantial impact). In English, the standard form is substantial; substansial is usually treated as a loanword or nonstandard spelling.

Etymology: The word derives from Latin substantia, meaning substance or essence, via Old French and other intermediaries into English and other languages. The form substansial preserves this lineage in some languages, though modern English generally prefers substantial.

Usage and nuance: Substantial indicates size, amount, or importance, as in “a substantial increase” or “substantial evidence.” Substantive, related in meaning, commonly refers to real content, essential nature, or legal effect (as in substantive law versus procedural law). The two terms overlap but are used in different contexts; substantive tends to cite content or essence, while substantial emphasizes magnitude or significance.

In Indonesian and Malay, substansial is widely used in academic, legal, and formal contexts to express significance or materiality, with various collocations such as data substansial, bukti substansial, or dampak substansial.

See also: substantial, substance, substantive law.