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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 It was created to address urban problems, including substandard and deteriorating housing, and to coordinate federal housing and urban development policies more effectively. Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 9 Sep. 2025 Last year, China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate reported prosecuting 21,404 individuals for producing and selling counterfeit and substandard goods. Haicen Yang, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025 Her relatives describe substandard education and health care there, as well as a generally poor quality of life. Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025 There were allegations of billing irregularities and substandard care. Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for substandard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substandard
Adjective
  • Denying people the essentials necessary for their survival, to obtain compliance or a political agreement, should be unacceptable.
    Anna Halford, Time, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Controversy arose earlier this year after residents, a council member and the mayor declared a cooling station set up for homeless residents and others without adequate heating and cooling as unacceptable.
    Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • There’s another element of the current concern regarding due process that relates to the fate of poor Cinna.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
  • McDaniel’s debut album Lost Ones delves into his own story of growing up in a poor community in Kentucky, and dealing with mental health struggles, both personally and within his family — as well as McDaniel’s story of being saved during a past suicide attempt years ago.
    Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Cut to Culhane doing lame bits with chopsticks as walrus teeth.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Add in coach Steve Kerr willingly working on a lame-duck contract, and the Warriors could be looking for a new path forward within the year of saying hello to Butler, meaning that smell around Chase Center is one of desperation.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Watters said letting visitors toss vegetables through the fence could send the wrong message, normalizing the idea of being close enough to feed a bear.
    Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • New York Giants star rookie running back Cam Skattebo was the talk of the NFL world on Sunday for all the wrong reasons after going down with what appears to be a season-ending leg or ankle injury in the team's Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
    Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In the meantime, Jones has been carrying a run-deficient offense to the tune of 313 yards per game — the most in the NFL.
    Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
  • At least 1,235 miles of the city’s sidewalks, or about 40%, are considered deficient.
    Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • FarmVille wasn’t bad, but something was missing.
    Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
  • The asteroid impact triggered one of the planet's worst mass-extinction events, wiping out all dinosaurs but birds.
    DINO GRANDONI THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Alex Spors said his sister's case illustrates the system is flawed.
    Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • But Brazil were fundamentally flawed, only keeping one clean sheet, against minnows New Zealand.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substandard. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on substandard

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!