substandard
adjective
sub·stan·dard
ˌsəb-ˈstan-dərd 
: deviating from or falling short of a standard or norm: such as
a
: of a quality lower than that prescribed by law
substandard housing
b
: conforming to a pattern of linguistic usage existing within a speech community but not that of the prestige group in that community
c
: constituting a greater than normal risk to an insurer
Examples of substandard in a Sentence
a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation
Recent Examples on the Web
The physician who provides substandard care out of political conviction rather than medical evidence?
—
Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Objective measures of diet quality in the US conducted by scientists show that the American diet is substandard.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 7 May 2025
The Rangers are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have only scored more than two runs only twice in the span as injuries and substandard play have hampered the offense.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 May 2025
It was launched in the 1970s by the federal government as an alternative to public housing projects, which were criticized for segregating poor families in neighborhoods with low-quality schools and other substandard services.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for substandard
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Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Objective measures of diet quality in the US conducted by scientists show that the American diet is substandard.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 7 May 2025
The Rangers are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have only scored more than two runs only twice in the span as injuries and substandard play have hampered the offense.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 May 2025
It was launched in the 1970s by the federal government as an alternative to public housing projects, which were criticized for segregating poor families in neighborhoods with low-quality schools and other substandard services.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for substandard
Cite this Entry
“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substandard. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
substandard
adjective
sub·stan·dard
ˌsəb-ˈstan-dərd
ˈsəb-
1
: varying from or falling short of a standard or norm
substandard housing
2
: following a pattern of linguistic usage that is not considered standard
substandard English
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