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

Uncontrolled, open-source diffusion could give rise to smaller gangs or tribes with substandard but substantial AI capacities, sufficient to administer to, provide for, and defend themselves within some limited scope. —Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024

Workers commonly suffer from wage theft, threats and substandard living conditions, The Post found. —Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 1 Nov. 2024

There are ripple effects across all the story’s players, touching on many aspects of our justice system, from substandard investigations that seed confirmation bias, to trials driven by political expediency and our need for good stories over the truth. —Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

In the past, auditors found deficiencies and, in some cases, substandard conditions in contractor-run detention facilities and shelters. —Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024

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