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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suboptimal
Even though the Red Sox had Thursday off after Wednesday’s unpleasant bullpen loss at Fenway the night before, Tolle’s short start was suboptimal.
—
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
Washington and New Delhi must do more than simply restore the old, suboptimal status quo.
—Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2025
The Cygnus spacecraft compensated for its suboptimal position on the ISS by using its steerable main engine, using gimbals to move the engine's nozzle to direct its thrust in the right direction.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
McCarthy’s torn meniscus came at a suboptimal time.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
Washington and New Delhi must do more than simply restore the old, suboptimal status quo.
—Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2025
The Cygnus spacecraft compensated for its suboptimal position on the ISS by using its steerable main engine, using gimbals to move the engine's nozzle to direct its thrust in the right direction.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
McCarthy’s torn meniscus came at a suboptimal time.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
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Denying people the essentials necessary for their survival, to obtain compliance or a political agreement, should be unacceptable.—
Anna Halford,
Time,
25 Oct. 2025
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Controversy arose earlier this year after residents, a council member and the mayor declared a cooling station set up for homeless residents and others without adequate heating and cooling as unacceptable.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There’s another element of the current concern regarding due process that relates to the fate of poor Cinna.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Oct. 2025
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McDaniel’s debut album Lost Ones delves into his own story of growing up in a poor community in Kentucky, and dealing with mental health struggles, both personally and within his family — as well as McDaniel’s story of being saved during a past suicide attempt years ago.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Watters said letting visitors toss vegetables through the fence could send the wrong message, normalizing the idea of being close enough to feed a bear.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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New York Giants star rookie running back Cam Skattebo was the talk of the NFL world on Sunday for all the wrong reasons after going down with what appears to be a season-ending leg or ankle injury in the team's Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Cut to Culhane doing lame bits with chopsticks as walrus teeth.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Oct. 2025
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Add in coach Steve Kerr willingly working on a lame-duck contract, and the Warriors could be looking for a new path forward within the year of saying hello to Butler, meaning that smell around Chase Center is one of desperation.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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FarmVille wasn’t bad, but something was missing.—
Moisés Naím,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
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The asteroid impact triggered one of the planet's worst mass-extinction events, wiping out all dinosaurs but birds.—
DINO GRANDONI THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In the meantime, Jones has been carrying a run-deficient offense to the tune of 313 yards per game — the most in the NFL.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
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At least 1,235 miles of the city’s sidewalks, or about 40%, are considered deficient.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Alex Spors said his sister's case illustrates the system is flawed.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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But Brazil were fundamentally flawed, only keeping one clean sheet, against minnows New Zealand.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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