substandard

adjective

sub·​stan·​dard ˌsəb-ˈstan-dərd 

: deviating from or falling short of a standard or norm: such as

a

: of a quality lower than that prescribed by law

substandard housing

b

: conforming to a pattern of linguistic usage existing within a speech community but not that of the prestige group in that community

c

: constituting a greater than normal risk to an insurer

Synonyms

• bad
• bastard
• bush
• bush-league
• crummy
• crumby
• deficient
• dissatisfactory
• ill
• inferior
• lame
• lousy
• off
• paltry
• poor
• punk
• sour
• suboptimal
• subpar
• unacceptable
• unsatisfactory
• wack [slang]
• wanting
• wretched
• wrong

Examples of substandard in a Sentence

a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation

Recent Examples on the Web

Independence is expanding its apartment inspection program, called Rental Ready, after buildings that had passed city inspections under the old guidelines gained publicity for substandard and dangerous living conditions. —Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2025

The station had been renovated twice in recent years under a partnership between Serbia and Chinese companies, raising allegations of corruption and substandard construction practices. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025

Many products and parts are either unavailable, more expensive or replaced by substandard substitutes. —Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025

This concern prompted them to buy the substandard shipment anyway. —Duncan Money / Made By History, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

substandard

adjective

sub·​stan·​dard ˌsəb-ˈstan-dərd 

ˈsəb-

1

: varying from or falling short of a standard or norm

substandard housing

2

: following a pattern of linguistic usage that is not considered standard

substandard English

Legal Definition

substandard

adjective

sub·​stan·​dard

: deviating from or falling short of a standard or norm: as

a

: of a quality lower than that prescribed by law

b

: constituting a greater than normal risk to an insurer