as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of substandard CoreCivic, the for-profit company that operates the prison, vehemently denied the allegations of substandard conditions. Laura Gersony, AZCentral.com, 7 Aug. 2025 Orange County has instructed emergency dispatchers and paramedics to stop routing stroke patients to Orange County Global Medical Center following complaints and state findings of substandard care at the financially troubled hospital. Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 17 July 2025 While Sono Bello boasts that the vast majority of its patients are satisfied, court records show that allegations of substandard medical care have trailed its rapid growth. Fred Schulte, Miami Herald, 29 July 2025 Immigrants detained in federal sites in Florida have faced inhumane conditions, including substandard medical care, abuse and neglect and overcrowding, Human Rights Watch alleged in a report released Monday. Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 21 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for substandard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substandard
Adjective
  • Hertz’s 10-month delay in contacting you is unacceptable and likely violates their own policies for handling claims efficiently.
    Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2025
  • By the federal government’s own standards, USAID’s fire sale is unacceptable.
    Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The White House disputes the prediction, arguing the Congressional Budget Office is a poor predictor of outcomes.
    Jessie Opoien, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Yet that season, the Cubs’ overall fate was sealed thanks to a poor 10-18 May and a 12-17 run in the last month of the season.
    Andy Frye, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • One wrong step sent Luhn hurtling down the side of the mountain.
    Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
  • In February 2019, the Black social worker was handcuffed naked in her home as police raided the wrong apartment, acting on a tip from a confidential informant.
    Kerry Lester Kasper, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Aid distribution in Gaza has not always been this deficient, or fatal.
    Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 26 July 2025
  • The 11 dimensions of character can manifest in deficient and excess states as shown in Table 1.
    Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • The Tony Award-winning actor/activist on President Trump’s effort to change how US history — particularly how bad slavery was — is portrayed at the Smithsonian.
    Jade Walker, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025
  • The Apparel, Footwear and Textile category fared even worse, with a 33.4 percent detention increase over this period, according to CBP.
    SJ Studio, Sourcing Journal, 27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Without that trust, even highly advanced solutions risk falling short, either because the tools themselves are flawed or because employees don’t fully embrace them.
    Luiz Domingos, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Clooney is certainly game, playing a deeply flawed character who has considerable overlap with his own public persona.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substandard. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.

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