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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suboptimal
But even then, a suboptimal sperm count doesn’t necessarily mean an inability to reproduce.
—
Aria Bendix, NBC news, 3 July 2025
Even if every drug were free, we’d still be left with a system that spends inefficiently and delivers suboptimal results.
—Rita Numerof, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
The United States spends more per capita on health care, with suboptimal outcomes.
—Christina Smith, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2025
Troubleshooting outdated or suboptimal workplace management technology can divert the focus of IT and facilities teams away from strategic priorities like cybersecurity and IT asset management.
—Brian Haines, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Aria Bendix, NBC news, 3 July 2025
Even if every drug were free, we’d still be left with a system that spends inefficiently and delivers suboptimal results.
—Rita Numerof, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
The United States spends more per capita on health care, with suboptimal outcomes.
—Christina Smith, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2025
Troubleshooting outdated or suboptimal workplace management technology can divert the focus of IT and facilities teams away from strategic priorities like cybersecurity and IT asset management.
—Brian Haines, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
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In his short stint in Scranton, that number has come down a hair, but still resides at an unacceptable 29.4%.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
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Republicans were more evenly split, with 38% calling it unacceptable and 32% labeling it as acceptable.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Spurred by climate change, Canadian wildfires have increasingly exacerbated poor air quality across Milwaukee and southern Wisconsin.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
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Other critical factors that led to several brands exiting Japan, like Ford in 2016, were insufficient product lineups, and a poor dealer network.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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For instance, Putignano says there’s nothing wrong with expecting a teen to clean their room, just as your parents expected of you.—
Beth Ann Mayer,
Parents,
15 July 2025
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But new research shows that the intuitive assumption that the water is mostly newly melted snow or fresh rain is dead wrong.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
15 July 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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The alternative — keeping him around, highly paid and not played — would have been worse.—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
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Earlier this month, employees at the Environmental Protection Agency, filed their own letter, with even worse results; 140 of them were placed on administrative leave.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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According to a Science Direct article, Western diets are deficient in fiber and essential micronutrients, contributing to gut imbalances, chronic inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes.com,
18 July 2025
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Something like 95 percent of people are deficient in fiber.—
Hali Bey Ramdene,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Not because those traits are flawed, but because they’re pointed in the wrong direction.—
Nell Derick Debevoise,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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Critics says the study RFK Jr. cited as evidence is flawed.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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