substantive

CEFRC1

/ˈsʌbstəntɪv/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
adjective
Important, serious, and connected with real facts or issues.
02
adjective
Extra detail
Having substance; enduring; solid; firm; substantial.

Examples

Some can talk on and on, about nothing substantive, ad infinitum.
Substantive editing is never trivial, whereas some aspects of copyediting are trivial.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 5
Parts of speech: 1
Citations: 5
Synonyms: 5

Also pronounced

/səbˈstæntɪv/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

Of the essence or essential element of a thing.
Constituting the substance of content rather than its style, and thus always nontrivial.
Applying to essential legal principles and rules of right.

More examples

In context

substantive changes made by the lawyers
substantive information
substantive law

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

The meeting produced no blank changes to the company's policy.

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Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

In one sense the first debate achieved the worst of all worlds: it managed to be technical, even dull, without being substantive or especially honest.
2012 October 6, “The first presidential debate: Back in the centre, back in the game”, in The Economist, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2023
Once more then, strength and magnitude are qualities which impress the imagination in a powerful and substantive manner;
1836 [1829], William Hazlitt, “Definition of wit”, in Literary Remains of the Late William Hazlitt, page 19
So this test, this whole area of substantive due process, is tricky for some of the reasons you say. That’s been a criticism of the doctrine in general and a criticism of the general notion that we can have rights that the Constitution doesn’t specify, precisely because of the kind of inquiry that it invites judges to undertake.
2025 October 16, Ross Douthat, quoting Amy Coney Barrett, “Amy Coney Barrett Is Looking Beyond the Trump Era”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 20 Oct 2025
Hee therefore taking into Conſideration, how ſufficient and ſuſstantiue this Land was, to maintaine it ſelfe without any aid (at all) of the foreigner; […]
1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “New Atlantis. A Worke Vnfinished.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC, page 16
The Dutch verb beelden and substantive beelding signify form-giving, creation, and by extension image—as do gestalten and Gestaltung in German, where Neo-Plastic[ism] is translated as Die neue Gestaltung.
1986, Harry Holtzman, Martin S[amuel] James, “The New Plastic in Painting (1917)”, in The New Art—The New Life: The Collected Writings of Piet Mondrian, Boston, Mass.: G. K. Hall & Co., →ISBN, part I (The De Stijl Years: 1917–24), page 27

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Origin

adjective

From Middle English substantif, from Old French substantif.

Deep Dive

adjective

More examples

Related

Quick test

The meeting produced no blank— changes to the company's policy.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

The meeting produced no blank changes to the company's policy.