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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of suboptimal
Before the bell, TJX Companies , in pure TJX fashion, delivered strong quarterly results with a suboptimal guide.
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Zev Fima, CNBC, 24 Nov. 2024
My question is, how long are shareholders going to tolerate more suboptimal financial results born of bad decisions being made by leadership around solving these problems?
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 4 Oct. 2024
The cost includes a loss on impairment of inventory due to suboptimal THC levels.
Operating expenses for the quarter were $141,788, down from $667,497 in the previous year.
—Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
The impact: The strategic shift is suboptimal for fans planning to attend the games in person given the travel and logistical hurdles.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 25 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for suboptimal 
Zev Fima, CNBC, 24 Nov. 2024
My question is, how long are shareholders going to tolerate more suboptimal financial results born of bad decisions being made by leadership around solving these problems?
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 4 Oct. 2024
The cost includes a loss on impairment of inventory due to suboptimal THC levels.
Operating expenses for the quarter were $141,788, down from $667,497 in the previous year.
—Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
The impact: The strategic shift is suboptimal for fans planning to attend the games in person given the travel and logistical hurdles.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 25 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
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This time difference is unacceptable and the cause of many breaches.Austin Gadient, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
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During Tuesday’s meeting, board members agreed that Morris’ remark was unacceptable.Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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So this poor kid [who finished in last], this single guy, for a year had to have a Fathead of his buddy in boxers, a giant life-size Fathead above his bed.Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024
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In many poor and densely populated neighborhoods across the country, people have access to free, unmetered electricity.Nasser Karimi and Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Six people, including two children, are dead after a person driving a pickup truck the wrong way on a Mississippi highway collided with a car.Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024
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Sometimes, people do things that are morally wrong or ambiguous or whatever for certain reasons.Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2024
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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If anything, the living conditions seemed to get worse.Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
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While working as an advocate for victims of domestic violence herself, she was attacked by someone else’s abuser and her symptoms got worse, particularly trouble with her balance.Marina Kopf, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In healthy individuals who aren’t deficient in biotin, biotin supplementation will likely have no effect on hair growth, the same review concluded.Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024
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The latest decision in the 30-year-long legal saga vacated a Baltimore Circuit Judge’s previous ruling regarding school funding, but still ultimately rejected the plaintiffs’ attempt to revive the litigation over claims of deficient education standards at city schools.Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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But the study was deeply flawed, according to the standards of scientific research.Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
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Since then of course, Burgundy has come to dominate the fine wine market, building on its own extensive history and reinforcing its status, however flawed, with a clear hierarchy of quality through the Premier and Grand Cru system.Paul Caputo, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near suboptimal
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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