as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of substandard
Other states with a substandard balance of payments include California, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Utah and Illinois.
—
Tobias Burns, The Hill, 2 June 2025
The improvements of the Knicks, combined with a substandard night from the Pacers, led to a blowout.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
The substandard detention conditions and complete dismantling of humanitarian release are counter to current law, inhumane, and expensive.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, an aging, but still useful stadium will sit, basically vacant, while the University of Maryland, just a few exits up the Capital Beltway, is trying to compete in the Big Ten in a substandard ramshackle football stadium completed in 1950.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for substandard
Tobias Burns, The Hill, 2 June 2025
The improvements of the Knicks, combined with a substandard night from the Pacers, led to a blowout.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
The substandard detention conditions and complete dismantling of humanitarian release are counter to current law, inhumane, and expensive.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, an aging, but still useful stadium will sit, basically vacant, while the University of Maryland, just a few exits up the Capital Beltway, is trying to compete in the Big Ten in a substandard ramshackle football stadium completed in 1950.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for substandard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substandard
Adjective
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In April 2021, the European Commission proposed a draft of the Artificial Intelligence Act, aimed at introducing a system of AI classification based on risks to users (minimal, limited, high, unacceptable).—
Olena Orliuk,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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Anything less is unacceptable to the Bosteros, as Boca’s fans are known.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Despite having a poor 2024 season that saw the Pirates remove Bednar from the closer role, the right-hander is back to his dominant form.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 June 2025
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The key drivers are BGE’s soaring spending and profits and poor management by PJM Interconnection, the private entity that operates our electric grid.—
Emily Scarr,
Baltimore Sun,
29 June 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 end of season 2 turned the tables on the meek Ada and domineering Agnes when Agnes lost her fortune thanks to her son Oscar (Blake Ritson) trusting the wrong people.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
23 June 2025
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Her only 'crime' seems to be coming from the 'wrong' country.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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If a person is not deficient in iron, too much iron can cause significant problems.5 3.—
Heather Jones,
Verywell Health,
23 June 2025
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Noted: Nearly 1 in 4 Americans is deficient in Vitamin D.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Just recently the Wizards, whose only NBA championship was as the Bullets in 1979, had the second worst record this season only to miss out on the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes and slide to No.6 in the upcoming draft.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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After several months of strong economic news but incredibly weak consumer sentiment, America is starting to see those trends reverse: The vibes are on the rebound, but evidence is mounting that the economy is getting worse.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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The second time around, Read's lawyers argued that the police investigation was so flawed and biased that prosecutors couldn't even prove Read had hit O'Keefe with her car.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
18 June 2025
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Missing key information leads to flawed decisions and signals that your perspective matters more than others'.—
Anna Barnhill,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substandard. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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