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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 suboptimal
Having a parent or sibling who developed osteoporosis at a younger-than-usual age, say in their 40s or 50s, points to those suboptimal genetics.
—
Erica Sloan, SELF, 31 Mar. 2026
From a behavioral economics perspective, many decisions appear biased and suboptimal.
—Alejandro Hortal-Sánchez, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Rotations can shrink in the playoffs, but having to tax the starters just to get there is suboptimal.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2026
There are driver-specific factors that also increase safety risk on Houston highways, such as fatigue, distracted driving, speeding on suboptimal roads, and insufficient training.
—Wyles Daniel, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Erica Sloan, SELF, 31 Mar. 2026
From a behavioral economics perspective, many decisions appear biased and suboptimal.
—Alejandro Hortal-Sánchez, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Rotations can shrink in the playoffs, but having to tax the starters just to get there is suboptimal.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2026
There are driver-specific factors that also increase safety risk on Houston highways, such as fatigue, distracted driving, speeding on suboptimal roads, and insufficient training.
—Wyles Daniel, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
-
Our current contractor’s price proposal and timeline to finish the bridge was unreasonable and unacceptable.—
Katie Thomson,
Baltimore Sun,
6 May 2026
-
What happened was unacceptable.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Injuries to key players on the Amazin’s contributed to some poor numbers as well.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Although poor students are disproportionately likely to receive special education in New York City, well-off disabled kids are the ones most acutely driving up the budget.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wallace and her collaborators scrambled to get into the water; the whale was swimming in the wrong direction, toward some docks.—
Jessica Camille Aguirre,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
-
What most people get wrong is conflating the theme of the exhibition with the dress code for the evening.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
And getting all giddy over some lame light beer that has apple juice poured into to is just plain embarrassing.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
-
This idea that just sitting with your face buried in your phone when you’re supposed to be in a social setting—that’s lame, right?—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Or worse, to turn it into a sort of prison sentence.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Still, from his horns and tattoos to the double-bladed lightsaber, Maul's bad-guy chic was hard to beat.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, a prospective cohort study published in March 2026 found that breast cancer patients with sufficient vitamin D had meaningfully better survival and cardiovascular outcomes — and that 38% of women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer were deficient at the time of diagnosis.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Appropriately for a defense-deficient series, the Ducks capitalized on two transition sequences early in the third to take control.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Nuggets are fundamentally flawed.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
-
DeSantis said the 2020 census was flawed and undercounted people in the state.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
