substance

[suhb-stuhns]

noun

1. that of which a thing consists; physical matter or material.

   form and substance.

2. a species of matter of definite chemical composition.

   a chalky substance.

3. controlled substance.

4. the subject matter of thought, discourse, study, etc.

   Synonyms: subject, theme

5. the actual matter of a thing, as opposed to the appearance or shadow; reality.

   Synonyms: essence

6. substantial or solid character or quality.

   claims lacking in substance.

7. consistency; body.

   soup without much substance.

8. the meaning or gist, as of speech or writing.

   Synonyms: pith, import, significance

9. something that has separate or independent existence.

10. Philosophy.

    1. something that exists by itself and in which accidents or attributes inhere; that which receives modifications and is not itself a mode; something that is causally active; something that is more than an event.

    2. the essential part of a thing; essence.

    3. a thing considered as a continuing whole.

11. possessions, means, or wealth.

    to squander one's substance.

12. Linguistics.,  the articulatory or acoustic reality or the perceptual manifestation of a word or other construction (form ).

13. a standard of weights for paper.

substance

/ ˈsʌbstəns /

noun

1. the tangible matter of which a thing consists

2. a specific type of matter, esp a homogeneous material with a definite composition

3. the essence, meaning, etc, of a written or spoken thought

4. solid or meaningful quality

5. material density

   a vacuum has no substance

6. material possessions or wealth

   a man of substance

7. philosophy

   1. the supposed immaterial substratum that can receive modifications and in which attributes and accidents inhere

   2. a thing considered as a continuing whole that survives the changeability of its properties

8. Christian Science that which is eternal

9. a euphemistic term for any illegal drug

10. with regard to the salient points

Other Word Forms

• substanceless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of substance¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin substantia “substance, essence” (literally, “that which stands under, i.e., underlies”), equivalent to sub- “under, beneath” + -stant- (stem of stāns, present participle of stāre “to stand”) + -ia noun suffix; sub-, stand, -ia; -ance

Word History and Origins

Origin of substance¹

C13: via Old French from Latin substantia, from substāre, from _sub- + stāre to stand

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in substance,

   1. concerning the essentials; substantially.

   2. actually; really.

      That is in substance how it appeared to me.

see in substance; sum and substance.

Synonym Study

See matter.

Example Sentences

He has agreed to sell what he claims to be THC vape liquids to a schoolgirl – an illegal substance which is the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

From BBC

In delivering her sentence, Judge Kristina Montgomery KC said there had been a "volatile dynamic" between the couple and conflict had been "fuelled by alcohol and substance abuse".

From BBC

“When it started raining, that substance would start to rise. It would get stuck in your cleats, almost like caulking.”

From Los Angeles Times

The “harm reduction” model followed at the tiny home village on the campus has been valuable in getting veterans off the street who are struggling with substance abuse.

From Los Angeles Times

"We have real concerns about the risk of people consuming potentially much more potent or more toxic substances than they might be expecting from consuming a herbal cannabis-based product," he added.

From BBC

Related Words

• amount 
• effect 
• meat 
• significance 
• strength 
• stuff 
• subject