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in substance

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in substance

1. Concerning or related to the essential elements; fundamentally or substantially. In substance, the proposed bill would reduce the amount of calories in meals served at school cafeterias, though the details of how this would be implemented aren't yet clear.

2. Actually; in reality. I was promoted to a managerial role in the restaurant, but in substance, I'm just a shift supervisor.

See also: substance

in substance

1. In reality, essentially, as in The Archbishop of Salzburg was in substance a temporal authority as well. [Late 1300s]

2. In essence, basically, as in I don't remember all the details, but in substance this was the plan. [Late 1400s]

See also: substance