Definition of substandardnext
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation

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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 Last year, the county instructed emergency dispatchers and paramedics to stop routing stroke patients to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana following state findings of substandard care at the financially troubled hospital. Victoria Le, Oc Register, 7 May 2026 For years, athletes and others connected to the Iowa State gymnastics program had raised concerns about the substandard conditions of its practice facility and the overall lack of resources, as USA Today reported in a retrospective last month. Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 27 Apr. 2026 This reality is forcing families and individuals to live in substandard conditions or pushing them out of their communities. Ryan Von Weller, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026 Many were found to be substandard, overpriced or were not built at all. ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for substandard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substandard
Adjective
  • Advertisement If something comes back at unacceptable levels, filtering is the next step—and the right filter depends on what's in your water.
    Angela Haupt, Time, 3 June 2026
  • Concern, because the violence and chaos in Hyde Park and elsewhere over the Memorial Day weekend are dangerous and unacceptable.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
Adjective
  • Common travel regrets stem from preventable issues like poor planning, budget problems, and choosing the wrong companions.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 3 June 2026
  • O’Farrell’s inclination for narratives propelled by brutal coincidence and fatally poor timing tenders a Hardy-esque vision of the world, one that emphasizes the rigid, often cruel limits of an individual’s jurisdiction over the course of their life.
    Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026
Adjective
  • Wirskye then asked who was wrong that day.
    Dawn White, CBS News, 7 June 2026
  • Lauren McCormick, a spokeswoman for travel insurance provider Squaremouth, says your phone is the most efficient tool for protecting your travel investment if things go wrong.
    Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • Santana tried to jump off the steps to clothesline Maclin but came up a bit lame.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Adjective
  • According to clinical literature, the human body lacks the functional gene (GULO) to synthesize ascorbic acid endogenously, meaning our vitamin C pool can be fully depleted within as little as one to three months on a deficient diet.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
  • Many residents spoke during public comment to complain about the county’s traffic and deficient infrastructure, issues that Abruzzo said only will worsen without property taxes.
    Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2026
Adjective
  • Especially defensively, where the Sparks had seemingly been getting worse.
    Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
  • The festival begins next week for the World Cup, but part of Poplar Drive is already closed, and some neighbors say the closure is making traffic in the area even worse.
    Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 7 June 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • This has encouraged debates on the extent to which metajournalism is different from—or even inferior to—existing practices of journalism.
    Steve Paulussen, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
Adjective
  • By the time the tournament reached Argentina four years later, though, the Dutch were not quite the slick — if defensively-flawed — outfit that played in 1974.
    Will Jeanes, New York Times, 5 June 2026
  • Talarico can't rebrand his progressive politics with barbecue Democrats are hell-bent on flawed Platner.
    Nicole Russell, USA Today, 4 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substandard. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.

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