1. • noun - the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists
   • noun - the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
   • noun - the idea that is intended
   • noun - material of a particular kind or constitution
   • noun - considerable capital (wealth or income)
   • noun - what a communication that is about something is about
   • noun - a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties
2. • That which has mass and occupies space; matter.
   • A material of a particular kind or constitution.
   • Essential nature; essence.
   • Gist; heart.
   • That which is solid and practical in character, quality, or importance: a plan without substance.
   • Density; body: Air has little substance.
   • The central meaning shared by these nouns is “the essential import or significance of something spoken or written”: the substance of her complaint; the burden of the President’s speech; the core of an article; the gist of the prosecutor’s argument; the pith and marrow of an essay; the purport of a document.

WORD BUILDER