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
However suboptimal the timing, few of these elections were close enough that even particularly influential podcasters could have swung them.
—
W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
For organizations struggling with the classic challenges of cross-functional collaboration—territorial disputes, communication gaps, and suboptimal compromises—AI offers a pathway to genuine integration.
—François Candelon, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2025
In suboptimal circumstances, Zollers looked the part of a Power 4 quarterback.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025
Not surprisingly, blood glucose control was often suboptimal.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
For organizations struggling with the classic challenges of cross-functional collaboration—territorial disputes, communication gaps, and suboptimal compromises—AI offers a pathway to genuine integration.
—François Candelon, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2025
In suboptimal circumstances, Zollers looked the part of a Power 4 quarterback.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025
Not surprisingly, blood glucose control was often suboptimal.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
-
And this love makes violence and injustice unacceptable.—
Bao Phi,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
In a county of nearly 2 million residents, this is simply unacceptable.—
Nan Rich,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Jan. 2026
-
In recent games, KU’s communication has been pretty poor on defense and that’s led to players taking (and too often missing) wide-open 3-pointers.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The candidacy challenge contends that Wilcox used the wrong form to file for office in December and left off information that was required.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
-
An Amazon driver accompanied by her 16-year-old son came under fire after accidentally stopping at the wrong house in rural North Carolina, according to investigators.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
His other go-to bogeyman, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is now firmly in his lame-duck era as his term ends this spring.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Your ultra-lame social media posts (with awful production values) don’t cut it by a Colorado mile high.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Now, but as the statistics and figures come in here in Minneapolis, there's double-digit drops in crime, coupled with a lot of bad people and bad things being taken off of your streets.—
Esme Murphy,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Under President Biden, the FTC and DOJ slowed large transactions, suggesting that all big businesses were bad businesses.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Miami played well early, taking a 59-54 lead into the break before being undone by turnovers and deficient board work, a torrent of OKC threes and the greatness of defending MVP Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, who fueled a 15-0 third quarter run to put the Thunder ahead by 13.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The longstanding bridge, which was deemed structurally deficient, connects downtown to the East Side.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
To Glover, the Dallas attorney, the need for a case redistribution process is proof the system is flawed.—
Tony Plohetski,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
-
In the past, the US failed due to their flawed planning.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
