as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of substandard The immigration detention system has been a continuous target of criticism from immigrant advocates and government watchdogs over conditions including lack of access to attorneys and substandard medical care as well as issues of cost and effectiveness. Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 31 Jan. 2025 CoreCivic said that no oversight bodies had found any substandard or dangerous conditions at TCDF. Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 29 Jan. 2025 The best advice: Avoid the crowds Maybe the best way to avoid having a substandard travel experience is to go in the opposite direction of the crowd. Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025 Instead, his tenure produced a dynamic debut that raised expectations, followed by two substandard seasons. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for substandard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substandard
Adjective
  • Many of them will likely be seen in Kyiv as unacceptable.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 18 Feb. 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • Without education, students with disabilities face higher rates of poverty, unemployment, poor health, and social isolation.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 17 Feb. 2025
  • This initiative helped avert potential global famines and boosted incomes for poor farmers, particularly in Asia.
    A.J. Russo, Baltimore Sun, 17 Feb. 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
  • This reveals Wrexham have still been creating more than the opposition, suggesting there wasn’t a lot wrong and that an upturn in individual form, as happened at Mansfield with the back three, will bring the necessary results to stay in the promotion hunt.
    Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
  • According to the Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between February 12 and 18, 53 percent of Americans believed the economy was on the wrong track, up from 43 percent in the organizations' January 24 to 26 poll.
    Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Of course, soil can also be deficient in important nutrients.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2025
  • 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
  • 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
  • Hudl clips are cut from the previous training session, with three good things and three bad things presented.
    Braidon Nourse, The Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Excellence is achievable, but perfection is flawed thinking, impossible to attain.
    Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2025
  • Pasteur coolly replied that Pouchet’s spontaneous generation experiments were fatally flawed.
    Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025

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“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substandard. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

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