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
This is a bottleneck for graphics-intensive applications, resulting in suboptimal visual quality and lack of visuals required for financial visualizations, such as a display of real-time analytics in charts and graphs.
—
Pooja Jain, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Without addressing these foundational issues, organizations risk creating a data swamp rather than a data lake and building AI systems on unstable ground, leading to suboptimal outcomes and wasted investments.
—Aj Bubb, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
Incomplete, outdated or otherwise biased data can lead to suboptimal decisions, potentially amplifying inequalities or exposing institutions to other risks.
—Tomer Guriel, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
None of these goals can be realized following the suboptimal landing, but data returned from MAPP's time in transit to the moon, in lunar orbit and on the surface validated a range of systems and components that will be useful for Lunar Orbit's upcoming missions.
—Andrew Jones, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Pooja Jain, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Without addressing these foundational issues, organizations risk creating a data swamp rather than a data lake and building AI systems on unstable ground, leading to suboptimal outcomes and wasted investments.
—Aj Bubb, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
Incomplete, outdated or otherwise biased data can lead to suboptimal decisions, potentially amplifying inequalities or exposing institutions to other risks.
—Tomer Guriel, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
None of these goals can be realized following the suboptimal landing, but data returned from MAPP's time in transit to the moon, in lunar orbit and on the surface validated a range of systems and components that will be useful for Lunar Orbit's upcoming missions.
—Andrew Jones, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
-
All these attacks are unacceptable, and this isn't just an American problem.—
Mandalit del Barco,
NPR,
13 May 2025
-
That should be unacceptable to American negotiators.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points and OG Anunoby bounced back from two poor performances by scoring 20 for the Knicks, who can win the series Wednesday night at Boston.—
Brian Mahoney,
Baltimore Sun,
13 May 2025
-
This results in a very poor Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 232.7% (against 21.5% for the S&P 500).—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
Ship was heading the wrong direction The training ship arrived at New York's Pier 17 and was open to the public to visit from May 13 to 17, according to the Mexican Consulate in New York.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
-
The Final Destination: The NASCAR incident The opening disaster of The Final Destination is a NASCAR race gone horribly wrong.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
-
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
-
The Celtics never have a bad defender on the court.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
11 May 2025
-
Too often over the last few years, the Red Sox have struggled to dispatch bad teams.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Hartford Courant,
11 May 2025
Adjective
-
Those who are deficient in magnesium are more likely to have anemia.—
Jessica Swirble,
Verywell Health,
8 May 2025
-
However, the team continues through the postseason, things could be tougher as other teams won't be as deficient in the frontcourt as the Lakers.—
Matt Levine,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
This approach is flawed and increasingly dangerous for people and the economy.—
Nina Seega,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
Petition gathering is flawed, to be sure, but many mistakes are out of carelessness, not fraud, and laws already exist to punish willful violators.—
Steve Bousquet,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share