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 Objective measures of diet quality in the US conducted by scientists show that the American diet is substandard. Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 7 May 2025 The Rangers are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have only scored more than two runs only twice in the span as injuries and substandard play have hampered the offense. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 May 2025 It was launched in the 1970s by the federal government as an alternative to public housing projects, which were criticized for segregating poor families in neighborhoods with low-quality schools and other substandard services. Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025 However, human clinical studies testing specific therapies targeting inflammation and their impact on metabolic disease have had promising but substandard results. Danielle Weiss, Verywell Health, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for substandard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substandard
Adjective
  • And sometimes the soldiers can do things which are totally unacceptable and can be called crimes.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 6 June 2025
  • Tools that pose an unacceptable threat to rights or safety are banned outright.
    Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • This lack of preparation yields poor communication that worsens difficult situations and burns bridges between companies and fired employees.
    Nicole Tidei, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • Massive clouds of pollutants could collide in North Carolina this week and result in poor air quality conditions for millions.
    Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 5 June 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
  • Edwards and Randle have been firmly in his corner, which has helped Finch hold the team accountable when things are going wrong.
    Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • While much of the plot remains under lock and key, THR can reveal that one point revolves around the son of Stiller and Polo’s characters, who gets engaged to a ball-busting woman who seems all wrong for him.
    Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • Ars Video Whether the Take It Down Act can survive a potential constitutional challenge or not, the 48-hour timeline may be deficient for other reasons, though, victim testimony suggests.
    Ashley Belanger – May 19, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2025
  • The Church’s ‘Good Faith’ In court filings, Riverside denies wrongdoing and insists Holmes’ case is legally deficient.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • That cartilage injury was worse than expected, and Jiménez could miss all or most of this season rehabbing.
    David O'Brien, New York Times, 5 June 2025
  • These let companies create boundaries—like firewalls—that ensure LLMs don't inject bad information or influence outputs in unintended ways.
    Sean White, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • In every case, flawed data doesn’t just slow down hiring.
    Hariharan Kolam, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • The logic Daly uses to justify not making changes is just so inherently flawed.
    Pierre LeBrun, New York Times, 5 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substandard. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.

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