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
Washington and New Delhi must do more than simply restore the old, suboptimal status quo.
—
Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2025
The Cygnus spacecraft compensated for its suboptimal position on the ISS by using its steerable main engine, using gimbals to move the engine's nozzle to direct its thrust in the right direction.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
McCarthy’s torn meniscus came at a suboptimal time.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
In most of these cases, a much higher heart age is linked to suboptimal blood pressure and cholesterol—factors that can be modified with both lifestyle and medication, Khan added.
—Kristen Fischer, Health, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2025
The Cygnus spacecraft compensated for its suboptimal position on the ISS by using its steerable main engine, using gimbals to move the engine's nozzle to direct its thrust in the right direction.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
McCarthy’s torn meniscus came at a suboptimal time.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
In most of these cases, a much higher heart age is linked to suboptimal blood pressure and cholesterol—factors that can be modified with both lifestyle and medication, Khan added.
—Kristen Fischer, Health, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
-
Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Other Republicans — especially in the House — see it as an unacceptable expansion of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, which Republicans have tried to eliminate or cut back since it was enacted 15 years ago.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Similar protests occurred in Brazil over steep living costs and poor healthcare and education ahead of the country hosting the 2014 World Cup tournament.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Over time, dysfunctional breathing reinforces poor posture and scapular instability.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s something wrong with them right away.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Mike McDaniel said Wright did nothing wrong, but Miami needed more bodies on defense and special teams.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Another main issue is that the power grind itself now being the endgame is no longer a good motivator to play, nor is the Tier system with 3s not much different than 4s or 5s, and all past weapons being somewhat lame now outside of that system entirely.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Paine proposed a lump sum payment of £15 (£2,306 in 2025) to everyone reaching the age of twenty-one and a £10 (£1,537 in 2025) annual pension for the blind and lame, as well as for those fifty and older.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The game didn’t start bad for the Giants.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Apparently, Grier forgot his own words, because the lines that the Dolphins have built are collectively their worst this decade, something evident in a crushing 27-24 loss to Carolina, a game in which Miami blew a 17-0 lead.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Will his shooting and floater game give enough offensive jolt to add some real spacing around a roster that, even with Kevin Durant, seems notably deficient in terms of spacing?—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Miami’s edge rushers also have been deficient against the run this season.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
At 1-3 and trying to give some semblance of help to their top-notch defense and trying to stay alive in an AFC North that appears to be much more flawed than anyone thought a month ago, the Browns need a win.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
By replacing this flawed model with one that accurately accounts for SANS physics, the team demonstrated that porosity has a negligible effect on reactor physics or criticality safety.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share