as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation
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 substandard
Despite to this day being a thriving port city and with so many people so close to the sea, Naples has plenty of substandard fish restaurants.
—
Jamie Timson, TheWeek, 27 May 2026
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of substandard conditions.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Calling Southern schools for Black children in the first half of the 20th century substandard to those for white children would be a gross insult to the word substandard.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Deadly outcomes in more than a dozen cases could be linked, in part, to substandard treatment by at-times understaffed medical teams dealing with escalating detainee populations, according to a review of autopsy reports, court records and interviews with detainees and experts.
—Rob Kuznia, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for substandard
Jamie Timson, TheWeek, 27 May 2026
The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of substandard conditions.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Calling Southern schools for Black children in the first half of the 20th century substandard to those for white children would be a gross insult to the word substandard.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Deadly outcomes in more than a dozen cases could be linked, in part, to substandard treatment by at-times understaffed medical teams dealing with escalating detainee populations, according to a review of autopsy reports, court records and interviews with detainees and experts.
—Rob Kuznia, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for substandard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substandard
Adjective
-
The third strand of anti-vaccine advocacy, that compelling vaccine use is unacceptable, is a philosophical claim, not one of fact.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Allowing the status quo to remain is simply unacceptable.—
Catherine Blakespear,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
If poor flowering persists year after year, consider planting a different variety of tomatoes that better suits your climate.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
16 June 2026
-
The only question now is how much of the public's time and money the Mayor is willing to waste to obscure the numerous poor decisions her administration and the County have made for decades.—
Manuel Bojorquez,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Sure, or shoplifting or anything that feels sinful or wrong.—
Sharyn Alfonsi,
CBS News,
8 Dec. 2025
-
As the first half of the 2025 Border War men’s basketball game was winding down Sunday afternoon at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, the Missouri Tigers found themselves on the wrong end of a 12-2 run by the Kansas Jayhawks.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
7 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Initially blocked by recalcitrant Democratic members of the House, the legislation was reintroduced during a lame-duck session following the 2024 election.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
-
As lame as the fact that an Erewhon smoothie costs $19 is that so many of us need to be paid to be nice to each other.—
Swan Huntley,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
In addition to the UC San Diego report, a study at UC Berkeley recently found that at least 20% of first-semester calculus students who took a diagnostic exam between fall 2021 and fall 2023 were deficient.—
Jaweed Kaleem,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
Sometimes avocado trees can become deficient in certain types of minerals.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Canadian Whale Institute said Friday that efforts to find the whale have been unsuccessful and the search has been hampered by bad weather.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
-
This is for the fans who endured the three-worst seasons in Knicks history all inside of a five-year span.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Consumers previously wrote off Chinese goods as inferior, as Chinese manufacturers prioritized quick market entry over original designs.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
-
Learning how to be the favorite, who plays under the pressure of expectation, instead of how to be the underdog, who plays with the freedom of the unexpected, can make plenty of players vulnerable against an inferior foe at the business end of a tournament.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
In the filing, Chauvin claims his conviction should be vacated, saying flawed medical testimony, misrepresented police training and faulty jury instructions warrant a new trial or evidentiary hearing.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
The global body, representing the used textiles and circular trade sector, argued that such measures, while well-intentioned, are based on flawed data.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substandard. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
