substance
noun
Simple meaning
Real physical matter; also, particular kind or species.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
suhbstuhnsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsʌbstəns
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The real physical matter of which a person or thing consists
“DNA is the substance of our genes.”
A particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties
“Shigella is one of the most toxic substances known to man.”
Physical matter; material.
A form of matter that has constant chemical composition and characteristic properties.
Material of a particular kind or constitution
“The immune response recognizes invading substances.”
The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The real physical matter of which a person or thing consists
Used this way, substance is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“DNA is the substance of our genes.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “substance of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: substance of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Real / physicalnoun
“DNA is the substance of our genes.”
Particular / matternoun
“Shigella is one of the most toxic substances known to man.”
Materialnoun
“The immune response recognizes invading substances.”
More ways to use substance
- “DNA is the substance of our genes.”noun
- “Shigella is one of the most toxic substances known to man.”noun
- “The immune response recognizes invading substances.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A subsidiary station where electricity is transformed for distribution by a low-voltage network.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A person who takes drugs.
Excessive use of drugs.
Material produced by or used in a reaction involving changes in atoms or molecules.
A drug or chemical substance whose possession and use are controlled by law.
Greyish nervous tissue containing cell bodies as well as fibers.
Greyish nervous tissue containing cell bodies as well as fibers.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Having substance or capable of being treated as fact.
The substance that is acted upon by an enzyme or ferment.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “substance” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.