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
The health and safety of our students is our absolute priority, and any report of substandard food service is taken with the utmost seriousness.
—
Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
The zoo filed suit on March 17, alleging that Vertix and Barker Rinker Seacast Architecture (BRS) breached their contract by providing substandard work and materials that have led to leaks, rust and broken pumps in the Schlossman Shores habitat, which is home to five California sea lions.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
People who know how substandard these homes are don’t voluntarily go there.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
To normies, this abrogation of procedure and consensus is the route to a shitty, substandard building.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for substandard
Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
The zoo filed suit on March 17, alleging that Vertix and Barker Rinker Seacast Architecture (BRS) breached their contract by providing substandard work and materials that have led to leaks, rust and broken pumps in the Schlossman Shores habitat, which is home to five California sea lions.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
People who know how substandard these homes are don’t voluntarily go there.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
To normies, this abrogation of procedure and consensus is the route to a shitty, substandard building.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for substandard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substandard
Adjective
-
Those parties clinging to the outdated and socially unacceptable business model that relies on selling puppy mill puppies to unsuspecting consumers are no longer welcome in nine states and over 520 localities and some are looking for a new home.—
Annie Hornish,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri denounced the attack as tragic and unacceptable during a visit to the village on Monday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 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
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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
-
Wallace and her collaborators scrambled to get into the water; the whale was swimming in the wrong direction, toward some docks.—
Jessica Camille Aguirre,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
-
What most people get wrong is conflating the theme of the exhibition with the dress code for the evening.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
2 May 2026
Adjective
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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
-
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
-
Appropriately for a defense-deficient series, the Ducks capitalized on two transition sequences early in the third to take control.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
First, container growing gives you more control over the health and growth of your plants and is a great solution if your garden naturally has poorly draining or deficient soil.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Its 28-game start matches the expansion 1962 Mets — who lost 120 games — along with 1964 and 1983 for the second-worst in team history behind an 8-20 opening in 1981.—
Ronald Blum,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Ossai isn’t a bad pass rusher either, getting five sacks in each of the last two seasons, a total that somehow would’ve ranked second on the Jets last season.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The high-flying version of the Avs has yet to arrive in this series, but the defensively-sound edition backed by strong goaltending continues to be enough against an inferior Kings club.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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Their highest attendance of the games played at Stamford Bridge this season is 30,545, the only one to come close to the 30,000 mark, and inferior to their record attendance of 39,398 set two years ago at their Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Nuggets are fundamentally flawed.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
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DeSantis said the 2020 census was flawed and undercounted people in the state.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substandard. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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