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
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
Strict posting schedules can lead to suboptimal content timing, and not allowing content editing prevents the influencer from adapting the message to their audience.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for suboptimal 
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
Strict posting schedules can lead to suboptimal content timing, and not allowing content editing prevents the influencer from adapting the message to their audience.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for suboptimal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal
Adjective
-
In this team, calling in sick for shady reasons is unacceptable.—
Lieke ten Brummelhuis,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Greenwashing and intentional misinformation are unacceptable, but silence from the best actors is an even bigger risk.—
Jesper Brodin,
TIME,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Understand that poor sleep hygiene can negatively impact the quantity and quality of sleep.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
24 Jan. 2025
-
The Texans’ offensive line was mostly poor this season, unable to consistently protect Stroud.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
But Vučević is regressing rapidly to the mean at the absolute wrong stretch, plummeting below 27% shooting behind the arc in January.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Not that there’s anything wrong with people there, but no one should have that much knowledge about what people think about you.—
Ian Cohen,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
-
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
-
Bankers, who often complain that uncertainty is bad for business, are now willing to try all sorts of deals to see what will work.—
Andrew Ross Sorkin,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Daily How Nike’s new CEO plans to rebound from its worst year ever Sheryl Estrada NewslettersTerm Sheet Yan-David Erlich, former Weights and Biases executive, joins B Capital as general partner Allie Garfinkle NewslettersData Sheet The key to Netflix’s blowout earnings?—
Brit Morse,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Its star players include peptides and lipids—two things eczema-prone skin is deficient in, Dr. Weinstein Velez says.—
Jessica Kasparian,
SELF,
20 Jan. 2025
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Vitamin D More than 40% of adult Americans are deficient in vitamin D. Low levels are linked to fatigue, bone pain, muscle weakness, mood disorders and cognitive decline.—
Lina Begdache,
The Conversation,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The Chiefs are the least flawed of the four remaining teams, and whoever comes out of the AFC should win the Super Bowl.—
Hannah Vanbiber,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
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The lawsuit argued that Marrero and district officials used flawed data and inadequate research in making their decision to close schools.—
Jessica Seaman,
The Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near suboptimal
Cite this Entry
“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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