suboptimal

adjective

sub·​op·​ti·​mal

ˌsəb-ˈäp-tə-məl

 

variants or sub-optimal

: less than optimal : not at the best possible level

suboptimal performance

suboptimal conditions/results/solutions

received suboptimal care

… such is life at the sharp end of evolution, where the pursuit of self-interest frequently leads to suboptimal outcomes for all concerned.

—The Economist

Training at sub-optimal levels fatigues you and wastes time you could have spent at the high levels you hope to achieve.

—Rick Crawford

suboptimally adverb

or sub-optimally

… countless companies perform suboptimally. They fail to capitalize on a unique competitive advantage.

—Erik Matson

Synonyms

• bad
• bastard
• bush
• bush-league
• crummy
• crumby
• deficient
• dissatisfactory
• ill
• inferior
• lame
• lousy
• off
• paltry
• poor
• punk
• sour
• subpar
• substandard
• unacceptable
• unsatisfactory
• wack [slang]
• wanting
• wretched
• wrong

Examples of suboptimal in a Sentence

yes, living on junk food generally means that you have a suboptimal diet

Recent Examples on the Web

From the beginning, production challenges included procuring resources and filming during suboptimal weather. —Amber Dowling, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2025

This is a bottleneck for graphics-intensive applications, resulting in suboptimal visual quality and lack of visuals required for financial visualizations, such as a display of real-time analytics in charts and graphs. —Pooja Jain, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025

Without addressing these foundational issues, organizations risk creating a data swamp rather than a data lake and building AI systems on unstable ground, leading to suboptimal outcomes and wasted investments. —Aj Bubb, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025

Incomplete, outdated or otherwise biased data can lead to suboptimal decisions, potentially amplifying inequalities or exposing institutions to other risks. —Tomer Guriel, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

suboptimal

adjective

sub·​op·​ti·​mal ˌsəb-ˈäp-tə-məl 

: less than optimal

a suboptimal diet

a suboptimal dose of a drug