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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Recent Examples of suboptimal
Game theory ensures cooperation is the most profitable strategy, making dishonest behavior suboptimal in most scenarios.
—
Ali Faizan Rizvi, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Onana, for example, tends to make more exaggerated adjustments before shots — a style that has its benefits but can occasionally lead to mistimed reactions or suboptimal set positions.
—Mark Critchley, New York Times, 12 July 2025
The suboptimal, though not entirely surprising update was that other than perhaps taking his son, Knox, to the Home Run Derby, Bregman probably won’t participate in his third career All-Star Game next week.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 8 July 2025
But even then, a suboptimal sperm count doesn’t necessarily mean an inability to reproduce.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Ali Faizan Rizvi, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Onana, for example, tends to make more exaggerated adjustments before shots — a style that has its benefits but can occasionally lead to mistimed reactions or suboptimal set positions.
—Mark Critchley, New York Times, 12 July 2025
The suboptimal, though not entirely surprising update was that other than perhaps taking his son, Knox, to the Home Run Derby, Bregman probably won’t participate in his third career All-Star Game next week.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 8 July 2025
But even then, a suboptimal sperm count doesn’t necessarily mean an inability to reproduce.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
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While Led Zeppelin would have benefited greatly from Reid’s singing, songwriting and distinctive guitar work, being in that barnstorming band would have placed unacceptable artistic restraints on him.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
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The unexpected adverse media campaign that was launched by those who resigned on 24 March 2025 has caused incalculable damage and offers a glimpse of the unacceptable behaviors displayed in private.—
Simon Perry,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This implies a poor Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 52.5% (vs. 19.4% for S&P 500).—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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The general manager, making a rare road trip, told reporters that his presence had more to do with his scheduling availability than the Yankees’ third-place standing or their poor play over the past two-plus months.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In other words, National Geographic was both right — and wrong.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
7 Aug. 2025
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For those really feeling that boozy Brewers magic, picking the wrong sister — and overlooking the shuttles' different colors, bar name and pick-up location — would mean a 30-minute walk to the correct bar after getting dropped off.—
Kylie Volavongsa,
jsonline.com,
7 Aug. 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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So, bad for the nation's largest city, bad for the Democratic Party, and bad for the nation overall given the importance of the Democrats mustering the ability to take back the House next year to counter Trump.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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This is all made much, much worse by the fact that Claire’s parents end up time-travelling . . .—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Aid distribution in Gaza has not always been this deficient, or fatal.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
26 July 2025
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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
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Grok cited The Verge's reporting while confirming that its own seemingly flawed design can trigger partially nude outputs of celebrities.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
5 Aug. 2025
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But their presence, even flawed, is better than their absence.—
Solitaire Townsend,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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