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
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
After a stretch of suboptimal performances in losses to Latvia, the United States and Czechia, Cowan received an excessive amount of hate on social media.
—Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
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
After a stretch of suboptimal performances in losses to Latvia, the United States and Czechia, Cowan received an excessive amount of hate on social media.
—Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
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But for a lot of people following Markle's every move anything other than perfection is unacceptable.—
Alanna Bennett,
refinery29.com,
14 Mar. 2025
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But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But there is another concerning trend and area that has to be improved — their poor record on second balls.—
Rob Tanner,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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The county’s response to the Tijuana River sewage crisis has been very poor.—
Emily Alvarenga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The question of the night is the choice between selling out their souls to the vapid American tourists at the Tropicana nightclub (bad) or singing for their own people on the wrong side of the tracks (good).—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
20 Mar. 2025
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But Nicol isn’t wrong to think that the real entertainment is coming from inside the house, where the spry Gita may love nothing more than to be on camera.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
19 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
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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
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Jayson Tatum kept the Celtics in the game most of the night with 33 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, but Brown had one of his worst games of the year with just 10 points.—
Jay King,
The Athletic,
13 Mar. 2025
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How to build good habits and break bad ones via tiny changes in behavior. … Paperback fiction 1.—
The California Independent Booksellers Alliance,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Kraken was also accused of having deficient internal controls and record keeping.—
Jonathan Stempel,
USA TODAY,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Fischer argues that Trump’s desire to end the war quickly suggests the US may not only be at risk of reaching a flawed deal in haste, but may actually be willing to settle for something that doesn’t offer long-term solutions.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN,
14 Mar. 2025
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She was also drawn to Mickey’s flawed character, which was particularly appealing from an actor's perspective.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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