substantive: Meaning and Definition of
sub•stan•tive
Pronunciation: (sub'stun-tiv), [key]
— n. Gram.
- a noun.
- a pronoun or other word or phrase functioning or inflected like a noun.
—adj.
- a substantive adjective.
- pertaining to substantives.
- used in a sentence like a noun:a substantive adjective.
- expressing existence:“to be” is a substantive verb.
- having independent existence; independent.
- belonging to the real nature or essential part of a thing; essential.
- real or actual.
- of considerable amount or quantity.
- possessing substance; having practical importance, value, or effect: substantive issues under discussion.
- pertaining to the rules of right which courts are called on to apply, as distinguished from rules of procedure (opposed to adjective).
- (of dye colors) attaching directly to the material without the aid of a mordant (opposed to adjective).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.