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
Examples of substandard in a Sentence
a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation
Recent Examples on the Web
As long as traditional schools provide an education that parents perceive to be either too expensive, academically substandard, or presented in an environment that parents dislike, there will be a push for families to homeschool.
—
Michael McShane, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
Those who succeed go to the Olympics—those who do not are left to fend for themselves, sometimes with substandard education and professional skills.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 3 Sep. 2024
Today’s players are much less forgiving, and much more vocal, about substandard games.
—Barry Collins, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
That’s huge for a team that has had substandard team save percentages of .864, .891, and .890 the past three seasons and has designs on making the playoffs this season.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for substandard 
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Michael McShane, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
Those who succeed go to the Olympics—those who do not are left to fend for themselves, sometimes with substandard education and professional skills.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 3 Sep. 2024
Today’s players are much less forgiving, and much more vocal, about substandard games.
—Barry Collins, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
That’s huge for a team that has had substandard team save percentages of .864, .891, and .890 the past three seasons and has designs on making the playoffs this season.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for substandard
Dictionary Entries Near substandard
Cite this Entry
“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substandard. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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