as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation
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Recent Examples of substandard
His speed on deep patterns — one of his greatest strengths — has been neutralized to a large extent because of substandard quarterback play and Tagovailoa’s lack of arm strength.
—
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
Mold, lack of heat, inadequate ventilation, infestations and lead are just some threats to tenants’ health in substandard housing, often exacerbating chronic illnesses such as asthma and lung disease.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 20 Jan. 2026
According to Lisa Schiller, senior director of investigations and media relations for the Better Business Bureau, online pharmacies may sell fake, substandard, expired, or unapproved medications that may contain harmful ingredients.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 19 Jan. 2026
The disaster has raised questions about bid-rigging and corruption, as well as negligence by government officials, who have cited substandard mesh netting, polystyrene boards that were sealed to the windows and fire alarm failures as major factors in the fire’s start and rapid spread.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for substandard
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
Mold, lack of heat, inadequate ventilation, infestations and lead are just some threats to tenants’ health in substandard housing, often exacerbating chronic illnesses such as asthma and lung disease.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 20 Jan. 2026
According to Lisa Schiller, senior director of investigations and media relations for the Better Business Bureau, online pharmacies may sell fake, substandard, expired, or unapproved medications that may contain harmful ingredients.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 19 Jan. 2026
The disaster has raised questions about bid-rigging and corruption, as well as negligence by government officials, who have cited substandard mesh netting, polystyrene boards that were sealed to the windows and fire alarm failures as major factors in the fire’s start and rapid spread.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for substandard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substandard
Adjective
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Local officials criticized the FAA for imposing the closure without advance notice or coordination, calling the lack of communication unacceptable.—
Seung Min Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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That failure to communicate is unacceptable.—
Jay Blackman,
NBC news,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Semmann said stores raise prices primarily in response to supply chain issues, such as poor harvests, changes to international trade policy or increasing logistical costs.—
Francesca Pica,
jsonline.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Boating conditions are poor across offshore waters south of Cape Canaveral, while small craft need to exercise caution near the inlets.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Nichols and Vann concede that handing the cup with the apple juice and urine mix to Smith’s son to drink was wrong and Vann has expressed regret for that.—
Jane Harper,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Feb. 2026
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The crash involved a wrong-way driver on eastbound I-84, according to an Idaho State Police Facebook post.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And Siegfried keeps trying to understand what’s wrong with this goat that its owner claims is lame.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
9 Feb. 2026
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With about a year left until the next mayoral election, the attacks from Johnson’s opponents attempting to preemptively paint him as a lame-duck mayor could also turn off candidates worried about job stability, but their contract specifics would vary by agency.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The opinion noted that attorneys did not argue that Idaho’s system of public schools was deficient, or that the tax credit program would make it so.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
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Those who are deficient in magnesium are more likely to have anemia.—
Jessica Swirble,
Verywell Health,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In 2006, ahead of the Turin Olympics, Vonn took a bad fall during downhill training and went to the hospital.—
ANDREW DAMPF,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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Attending a bad Super Bowl is the Super Bowl of communal experiences.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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It's been fashionable since the early 2000s to consider reality shows inferior to scripted or traditional documentary series.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Feb. 2026
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The market was once concerned that ChatGPT creator OpenAI would threaten the Google parent’s dominant search business, and that its own AI technology was inferior.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Thus, as a vision of our transportation system in 2050, this plan is flawed due to placing too much emphasis on freeway expansion and insufficient resources on public transit.—
Chris Roberts,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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Then their postseason schedule road was made easier by facing three flawed offensive units.—
Hank Gola,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substandard. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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