SUBOPTIMAL Synonyms: 177 Similar and Opposite Words

suboptimal

adjective

ˌsəb-ˈäp-tə-məl

Definition of suboptimal

as in unacceptable

falling short of a standard yes, living on junk food generally means that you have a suboptimal diet

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 suboptimal The long, seemingly suboptimal route taken by our Alaskan myrtle warblers is actually mirrored by some other songbird species tracked from northwestern North America, including blackpoll warblers and Swainson’s thrushes. — Stephanie Szarmach, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026 Various micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi, yeasts) can also lie dormant in the tissues for centuries and can recolonize and multiply due to a ready supply of organic material—particularly if the remains have been stored in suboptimal conditions. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026 This helps to continuously monitor performance and safely shut down under suboptimal conditions. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026 Before Starlink, someone on a business trip might still decide to expense suboptimal Wi-Fi to keep up the pretense of working. — Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for suboptimal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for suboptimal

Adjective

The idea of not spending evenings with my kid is, kids are, is completely unacceptable.

— Michael Birnbaum The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
OpenAI took months to discover the incident and notify the Australian agencies affected — that’s unacceptable by my standard.

— Rumman Chowdhury, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of unacceptable

Adjective

Measles usually kills two or three people in every 1,000 cases, the WHO says, but the disease can be more deadly in poorer nations because of factors such as malnutrition.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
That receiver sends that poor defender into next week at the pylon.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

Its argument is that insurers have been pricing wildfire risk the wrong way, by looking backward at statistics and sorting homes by zip code.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
The trailer begins as Ziegler’s Mae frantically asks family friend Benny, played by a sleepy Rob Lowe, for help after her big mistake — kissing the wrong brother between Graham Phillips’ Andrew and Elias Kacavas’ Theo.

— Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of wrong

Adjective

Bajaria may also have hit thin ice with Sarandos after the streamer won just 16 Primetime Emmy Awards this year — its worst showing since 2016 and down from 30 in 2025.

— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
The size of the boat, the distance from the tow boat's berth and how bad the boat is stuck will all factor into the final invoice.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of bad

Adjective

The travel investigation doesn't establish that the firm's engineering designs were deficient and nothing in the records independently establishes that the performance adjustment was improper.

— Tyler Horst, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
There’s lots of neutral hues available but the sunny yellow will brighten up any window-deficient bathroom.

— Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of deficient

Adjective

The extra baggage negates the weightlessness, revealing a more flawed and earthbound iteration of the band.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
But rather than hail this trend as proof of AI’s skyrocketing potential, many in the field — skeptics and boosters alike — take it as evidence that benchmarking itself has become fatally flawed.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of flawed

Browse Nearby Words

subnormal

suboptimal

subordinate

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Suboptimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suboptimal. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of suboptimal

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes