unsubstantiated

[ uhn-suhb-stan-shee-ey-tid ]

adjective

1. not substantiated; unproved or unverified:

   unsubstantiated allegations.

2. being without form or substance.

unsubstantiated

/ ˌʌnsəbˈstænʃɪˌeɪtɪd /

adjective

1. not established as valid or genuine

   unsubstantiated allegations

Word History and Origins

Origin of unsubstantiated¹

First recorded in 1765–75; un- ¹ + substantiate + -ed ²

Example Sentences

And disappointed Democratic Party supporters developed their own unsubstantiated voter fraud theories, some of which went viral on X, formerly Twitter, and other platforms.

From BBC

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said Tuesday afternoon that his office was monitoring “unsubstantiated” bomb threats at four locations in Navajo Nation.

From Los Angeles Times

What happened next demonstrates how an unsubstantiated claim can spread at speed, with no concern for whether it is true.

From BBC

Annette Eckhardt, president of an employee group called Women at Metropolitan, criticized a recent Los Angeles Times column about the investigation, saying the board should disregard “unsubstantiated comments and speculation.”

From Los Angeles Times

Smith also referenced Trump’s tweet about firing Christopher Krebs, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, after Krebs publicly called out Trump’s claims of voter fraud as “unsubstantiated or … technically incoherent.”

From Slate

Related Words

• debatable
• dubious
• unsupported