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 federal government has denied allegations of substandard conditions and accused protesters of inflaming tensions.
—
ABC News, 4 June 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for substandard
ABC News, 4 June 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for substandard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substandard
Adjective
-
Warsh called that unacceptable and kept saying so.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
-
This proposal is utterly unacceptable.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Rebecca Lowe joins Dan Patrick to discuss some of the top storylines around the World Cup, including Cristiano Ronaldo's poor play to start, the United States' potential and more.—
Monica Alba,
NBC news,
24 June 2026
-
Will the gap between rural and urban America – and the gap between rich and poor America – decline or grow?—
Arthur Cosby,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
Adjective
-
Tom Kim dropped two shots at the wrong time and shot 72.—
Doug Ferguson,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
Every traveler has a trip that went spectacularly wrong.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
21 June 2026
Adjective
-
In November 2008 an errant air strike, conducted under auspices of a lame-duck Bush administration, killed 37 civilians who were at a wedding party in Wech Baghtu, Afghanistan.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
-
At supper the guides exchanged significant glances across the fire and acted like a couple of guys who have picked a lame horse.—
Fred Bear,
Outdoor Life,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
About 220,000 need major repair or replacement, and 41,677 are rated poor, also called structurally deficient.—
Alex Krasnok,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
-
About 220,000 need major repair or replacement, and 41,677 are rated poor, also called structurally deficient.—
Alex Krasnok,
The Conversation,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Are those still your worst fears?—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
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While a higher tracker error is not bad in and of itself, most investors become uncomfortable when their portfolio acts so differently from the index.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Adjective
-
That makes for a more compelling value proposition, useful in daily life, versus a more specialized machine with inferior performance.—
Matthew Buzzi,
PC Magazine,
14 June 2026
-
People mock Americans for using the word because the rest of the world likes a chance to make the superpower feel inferior.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
When an audience member posed a hypothetical choice between a flawed but distinctive film and a polished but unremarkable one, Leung said either would do, arguing that cinema’s goal was sincerity, in performance or in a director’s expression, rather than polish.—
Jenny S. Li,
Variety,
20 June 2026
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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,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substandard. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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