ˌsəb-ˈäp-tə-məl
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
yes, living on junk food generally means that you have a suboptimal diet
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suboptimal
Poor posture, prolonged sitting, and suboptimal ergonomics contribute to chronic discomfort and micro-strain injuries.
—
Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
Even this season, the Vikings faced off against the Lions at a suboptimal time.
—Alec Lewis, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
Sometimes the problem is not contamination but suboptimal quality.
—David Cox, NPR, 5 Dec. 2024
But the overall point is valid, looks like suboptimal surgery.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for suboptimal 
Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
Even this season, the Vikings faced off against the Lions at a suboptimal time.
—Alec Lewis, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
Sometimes the problem is not contamination but suboptimal quality.
—David Cox, NPR, 5 Dec. 2024
But the overall point is valid, looks like suboptimal surgery.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
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Without any supporting facts alleging, political impropriety, unacceptable public safety threats, national security concerns, and the potential failure of not executing federal immigration initiatives and policies, all of which will have an impact on Adams’ ability to govern NYC.—
Arnold Kriss,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2025
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Many of them will likely be seen in Kyiv as unacceptable.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Cosgrove, a rookie revelation in 2023, is looking to bounce back after a poor 2024 season.—
Dennis Lin,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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But shortly after its release, AT&T dropped the device’s price down to just $0.99 in what was an unmistakable sign of poor sales – and perhaps an indication that consumers didn’t want more Facebook on their phone other than in its app.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Apparently some astrologer told Céline the wrong info.—
Erika W. Smith,
Vogue,
11 Feb. 2025
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But to not be able to talk and think about health without understanding the undercurrent of social factors impacting our health is wrong.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
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My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
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The weather was bad enough that MassDOT dropped the speed limit on the pike and forbid tandem trucks from the road.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
17 Feb. 2025
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There have been worse trades than the one that sent Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, along with Max Christie and a future first-round draft pick.—
Louisa Thomas,
The New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Of course, soil can also be deficient in important nutrients.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2025
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In people deficient in vitamin K, the levels of these factors are generally less than 50% of normal.4 If a vitamin K deficiency is found, testing for health conditions that can lead to such a deficiency may be performed.—
Colleen Doherty,
Verywell Health,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Excellence is achievable, but perfection is flawed thinking, impossible to attain.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes,
18 Feb. 2025
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Pasteur coolly replied that Pouchet’s spontaneous generation experiments were fatally flawed.—
Carl Zimmer,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near suboptimal
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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