subminimum

adjective

sub·​min·​i·​mum ˌsəb-ˈmi-nə-məm How to pronounce subminimum (audio)
variants or sub-minimum
: having or providing less than a specified minimum
The ore shipment was rejected for subminimum uranium content …The New York Times
… like most of the other early minimum wage laws, the Massachusetts law allowed for subminimum wages [=wages below a legally fixed minimum wage] for learners and children …Clifford F. Thies

Examples of subminimum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The subminimum wage is even lower — $2.13/hour — at the federal level, where it’s remained frozen since 1991. Marino Santoro, Baltimore Sun, 8 June 2025 Aimed squarely at leaders in Denver and Boulder, House Bill 1208 allows local governments to adjust the subminimum wage paid to tipped workers in restaurants. Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 5 June 2025 What’s worse, the very concept of a subminimum wage is a vestige of slavery. Robert Jackson, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2025 Over five years, the new law phases out subminimum wages that previously were allowed for people with disabilities, requiring them to be paid the same minimum wage as anyone else in Illinois — joining 18 other states. Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for subminimum

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of subminimum was in 1817

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Cite this Entry

“Subminimum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subminimum. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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