mere vs substantial

mere

noun
  • A Maori war-club. 

  • Boundary, limit; a boundary-marker; boundary-line. 

  • A body of standing water, such as a lake or a pond. More specifically, it can refer to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth. Also included in place names such as Windermere. 

verb
  • To decide upon the position of a boundary; to position it on a map. 

adj
  • Just, only; no more than, pure and simple, neither more nor better than might be expected. 

substantial

adj
  • Most important; essential. 

  • Not imaginary; real; actual; true; veritable. 

  • Having a substance; actually existing. 

  • Corporeal; material; firm. 

  • Possessed of goods or an estate; moderately wealthy. 

  • Satisfying; having sufficient substance to be nourishing or filling. 

  • Large in size, quantity, or value; ample; significant. 

  • Having good substance; strong; stout; solid; firm. 

noun
  • Anything having substance; an essential part. 

How often have the words mere and substantial occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )