Substance Meaning
/ˈsʌbstəns/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounPhysical matter; material.
nounPhysical matter; material., A form of matter that has constant chemical composition and characteristic properties.
Sentence Examples
Salt is a useful substance.
It was an argument of little substance.
The substance is light enough to float on the water.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The chemist carefully examined the unknown ____ to identify its composition.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The scientist analyzed the mysterious white ____ to see if it contained any dangerous or toxic chemicals.
Word Origin & History
Inherited from Middle English substance, from Old French substance, from Latin substantia (“substance, essence”), from substāns, present active participle of substō (“exist”, literally “stand under”), from sub + stō (“stand”). Displaced native Old English andweorc.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Study gives strength to the mind; conversation, grace: the first apt to give stiffness, the other suppleness: one gives substance and form to the statue, the other polishes it."
— 1699, William Temple, Heads designed for an essay on conversations:
"His wasted hands were stretched out, and worked with a quick and convulsive motion, as if catching some small substances which kept eluding their grasp;..."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 308:
"Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field."
— 2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
"Heroic virtue did his actions guide, / And he the substance, not the appearance, chose."
— 1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number):
"It is insolent in words, in manner; but in substance it is not only insulting, but alarming."
— 1796, Edmund Burke, Letters on a Regicide Peace:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The chemist carefully examined the unknown ____ to identify its composition.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The scientist analyzed the mysterious white ____ to see if it contained any dangerous or toxic chemicals.