substantially

substantially — 副詞

1. by a wide margin in terms of amount, size, or effect — used when a change, diffe

1.副詞B2
釋義

大幅；大量

程度或數量很大的

by a wide margin in terms of amount, size, or effect — used when a change, difference, or improvement is big enough to matter.

例句

Energy costs have risen substantially across the northern states this winter.

今年冬天，北方各州的能源成本大幅上升。

verb + substantially (change verb)

Tanvi's reading speed improved substantially after she started practising every morning.

Tanvi 每天早上開始練習之後，閱讀速度大幅提升。

substantially + past participle

同義詞
  • significantly

    very similar, but slightly more formal and often used in statistics or research

  • considerably

    almost interchangeable; slightly weaker in suggesting a noticeable degree

  • greatly

    strong but more emotional; common with feelings and appreciation

  • markedly

    more formal, used when the change is clearly visible or measurable

反義詞

文法句型

substantially + comparative adjective

verb + substantially

substantially + past participle

用法筆記

Commonly appears with verbs of change (increase, reduce, improve, differ) and with comparative adjectives (larger, smaller, higher, lower). Stronger than 'moderately' but less specific than a precise number.

常見錯誤

❌The price raised substantially.
✅The price rose substantially.
💡use 'rise', 'increase', or 'grow' with substantially, not the transitive 'raise' unless you name an agent.

2. in the main ways that matter most, even if minor details are not identical — use

2.副詞C1
釋義

大體；大致

主要方面大致相符的

in the main ways that matter most, even if minor details are not identical — used when comparing two things that are alike in their core features.

例句

The two novels tell substantially the same story, although the endings differ.

這兩本小說雖然結局不同，但故事大體相同。

substantially the same

Alessia said the report was substantially accurate, aside from a few minor typos.

Alessia 說這份報告大致正確，只是有幾個小錯字。

substantially + adjective of accuracy

同義詞
  • largely

    interchangeable in most contexts; slightly less formal

  • broadly

    focuses on the wide scope of agreement rather than the core

  • mostly

    more informal and everyday; implies more exceptions

  • for the most part

    phrase equivalent; more conversational rhythm

反義詞
  • completely

    totally identical in every detail, not just the main points

  • entirely

    no exceptions; opposite of 'almost but not quite'

文法句型

substantially + the same/similar/correct/unchanged

substantially + adjective of agreement

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 talks about the degree of ALIGNMENT between two things, not the size of a change. It pairs naturally with words like 'same', 'correct', 'unchanged', 'similar'. This sense is not used with comparative adjectives ('higher', 'lower').

常見錯誤

❌The temperature is substantially the same as yesterday.
✅The temperature is roughly the same as yesterday.
💡'substantially same' works for complex ideas or texts, not for simple physical measurements.