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
Avoid costly financial moves Planning ahead for financial setbacks reduces the likelihood that you’ll be forced into making a suboptimal decision.
—
Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2026
Cameron is no secret to NCAA circles, but a performance like that on a suboptimal day gave her optimism for the future.
—Cory Mull, Austin American Statesman, 5 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2026
Cameron is no secret to NCAA circles, but a performance like that on a suboptimal day gave her optimism for the future.
—Cory Mull, Austin American Statesman, 5 Apr. 2026
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
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
-
The challenge these proposals aim to address is real — but trying to hold back the tide is the wrong answer.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2026
-
In a 4-3 ruling, the court said the legislature followed the wrong process for putting the question, an amendment to the state constitution, on the ballot.—
Larry Kaplow,
NPR,
9 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
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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
-
Fast forward to mid-May, and the Astros are, well, bad.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has resulted in the loss of nearly a billion barrels of oil, with the shortage growing worse every day the sea lane remains closed.—
Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
All babies are born deficient in vitamin K, which is vital to blood clotting, and cannot form what are called clotting factors, or substances in the body that help stop bleeding naturally.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
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Effect sizes are modest for healthy adults but meaningful for those who are deficient.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
For the past couple of years as the Yankees often looked fundamentally flawed and too one-dimensional in their quest for their first world championship since 2009, Brian Cashman took frequent bashings for his roster construction.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
-
Benson's attorney, Jamie Hubbard, said the prosecution was both legally flawed and politically troubling.—
Brian Maass,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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