ˌsəb-ˈäp-tə-məl
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
yes, living on junk food generally means that you have a suboptimal diet
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suboptimal
Inevitably, that leads to suboptimal solutions with less efficiency and scalability.
—
Natan Linder, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
The current outbreaks in Texas indicate the suboptimal vaccine coverage.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
And the ubiquity of streaming services brought the whole chain together, one suboptimal link after another, landing us in a pre-Stokowski era of audio quality grafted onto a barely fathomable utopia of access: all music, everywhere, in mediocre form.
—Michael Owen, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025
Some residents have reported pressure to sell their property for suboptimal prices following rumors that the county would use eminent domain to seize their residences.
—Robert A. Kopack, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Natan Linder, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
The current outbreaks in Texas indicate the suboptimal vaccine coverage.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
And the ubiquity of streaming services brought the whole chain together, one suboptimal link after another, landing us in a pre-Stokowski era of audio quality grafted onto a barely fathomable utopia of access: all music, everywhere, in mediocre form.
—Michael Owen, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025
Some residents have reported pressure to sell their property for suboptimal prices following rumors that the county would use eminent domain to seize their residences.
—Robert A. Kopack, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
-
Defense stocks were once considered socially unacceptable investments, but fund managers are slowly changing tack as the sector has rallied in recent years.—
Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Forcing Americans and small independent American companies to rely on those same tools is an unacceptable outcome of domestic legislation.—
Emma Woollacott,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s a real debate to be had about what responsibility better-off neighborhoods like Hyde Park have to help solve humanitarian problems that often are laid at the feet of poorer areas.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
-
The strong United cohort, almost entirely comprised of dominant sides under Ferguson, has not shied away from criticising the club, players and managers when results have been poor.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In the case of the Ruscha photographs, computer vision was simply wrong.—
Sonja Drimmer,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Rhian, who grew up traveling and eating street food without issue, never expected anything to go wrong.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
-
My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
-
Jack: This is just a bad team that has occasionally had good days.—
The View from the Lane,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Since Trump’s Wednesday announcement, the stock market plummeted to its worst position since March 2020.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Kraken was also accused of having deficient internal controls and record keeping.—
Jonathan Stempel,
USA TODAY,
3 Mar. 2025
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Those studies show that supplementing with vitamin A in people who are deficient can lead to milder infections with diseases like measles.—
Alice Park,
TIME,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The American Dental Association has disputed claims that water fluoridation is unsafe, calling the report flawed.—
Alexander Tin,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2025
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But equating time spent with value created is a flawed model.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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