substandard
adjective
sub·stan·dard
ˌsəb-ˈstan-dərd 
: deviating from or falling short of a standard or norm: such as
a
: of a quality lower than that prescribed by law
substandard housing
b
: conforming to a pattern of linguistic usage existing within a speech community but not that of the prestige group in that community
c
: constituting a greater than normal risk to an insurer
Examples of substandard in a Sentence
a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation
Recent Examples on the Web
Calling Southern schools for Black children in the first half of the 20th century substandard to those for white children would be a gross insult to the word substandard.
—
Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Deadly outcomes in more than a dozen cases could be linked, in part, to substandard treatment by at-times understaffed medical teams dealing with escalating detainee populations, according to a review of autopsy reports, court records and interviews with detainees and experts.
—Rob Kuznia, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
Last year, the county instructed emergency dispatchers and paramedics to stop routing stroke patients to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana following state findings of substandard care at the financially troubled hospital.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
The city says the existing sidewalks are also substandard.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for substandard
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Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Deadly outcomes in more than a dozen cases could be linked, in part, to substandard treatment by at-times understaffed medical teams dealing with escalating detainee populations, according to a review of autopsy reports, court records and interviews with detainees and experts.
—Rob Kuznia, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
Last year, the county instructed emergency dispatchers and paramedics to stop routing stroke patients to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana following state findings of substandard care at the financially troubled hospital.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
The city says the existing sidewalks are also substandard.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for substandard
Cite this Entry
“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substandard. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
substandard
adjective
sub·stan·dard
ˌsəb-ˈstan-dərd
ˈsəb-
1
: varying from or falling short of a standard or norm
substandard housing
2
: following a pattern of linguistic usage that is not considered standard
substandard English
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