substantial meaning

substantial means 'large in amount, size, or importance'.

substantial :

large, important

adjective

▪ She received a substantial bonus.

▪ She got a large bonus.

▪ The company made a substantial profit.

▪ The company made a large profit.

paraphrasing

▪ significant – important

▪ considerable – large

▪ ample – enough or more than enough

▪ extensive – covering a large area

substantial

Pronunciation

substantial [səbˈstænʃəl]

The stress is on 'stan' and sounds like 'sub-stan-shul'.

Common phrases and grammar about substantial

substantial - Common meaning

adjective
large, important

Part of Speech Changes for "substantial"

▪ substantially (adverb) – largely, importantly

▪ substance (noun) – material, essence

▪ substantiate (verb) – to prove or support

Common Expressions with "substantial"

▪ substantial amount – large quantity

▪ substantial evidence – strong proof

▪ substantial changes – big changes

▪ substantial improvement – large progress

Important examples of substantial in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, substantial often refers to a large amount or degree.

▪They made substantial improvements to the building.
▪They made big improvements to the building.

Example of a confusing word: insubstantial (lacking strength or solidity)

▪They made insubstantial improvements to the building.
▪They made weak improvements to the building.
"Substantial" means "considerable" or "significant," often used to describe improvements, changes, or amounts that are large or important. In the sentence "They made substantial improvements to the building," the word fits perfectly, indicating significant changes. "Insubstantial," however, means "lacking strength" or "insignificant," which is the opposite of "substantial." Using "insubstantial" in this context would incorrectly suggest that the improvements were minor or weak, making it a grammatically incorrect choice for conveying the intended meaning. Therefore, "substantial" is the correct choice here.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

Substantial is used as an adjective and often modifies nouns like 'amount', 'change', or 'improvement' in TOEIC questions.

▪There was a substantial increase in sales.
▪There was a big increase in sales.

substantial

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

substantial evidence

'strong proof', used in legal or formal contexts.

▪The lawyer presented substantial evidence.
▪The lawyer showed strong proof.

make a substantial difference

means 'to have a big impact'.

▪Your help made a substantial difference.
▪Your help had a big impact.

Differences between similar words and substantial

substantial

,

significant

differences

Substantial refers to size or amount, while significant often refers to importance or effect.

substantial
▪The donation was substantial.
▪The donation was large.
significant
▪The results were significant.
▪The results were important.

substantial

,

considerable

differences

Substantial suggests more weight or importance, while considerable refers to a large amount or degree.

substantial
▪They made substantial progress.
▪The task needs a large amount of effort.
considerable
▪The task requires considerable effort.
▪The task needs a large amount of effort.

Words with the same origin as substantial

The origin of substantial

substantial comes from the Latin 'substantialis', meaning 'of substance'.

Word structure

It has the root substant (substance) and suffix ial (related to), so substantial means 'related to substance'.

Words with the same origin

The root of substantial is substant (substance). Words with the same root include substance (material), substantiate (to prove).

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