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
Synonyms
Examples of substandard in a Sentence
a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation
Recent Examples on the Web
Housing instability takes many forms, including living in overcrowded, substandard situations.
—
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Association of American Railroads (AAR) directed Fortune to a May 2023 letter from the trade group accusing Amtrak of substandard performance on its Sunset Limited line that runs from New Orleans and Los Angeles.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 19 May 2024
Broadening immunity Nursing home operators also have cited immunity to foil negligence lawsuits based on falls or other allegations of substandard care, such as bedsores, with little obvious connection to the pandemic, court records show.
—Fred Schulte | Kff Health News, ABC News, 11 May 2024
The apes, capable of speech and wearing substandard breastplates that might have been bought at a Roman Empire warehouse sale, have taken over the world.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 10 May 2024
Renters in Detroit have long raised concerns about substandard living conditions and evictions, and pushed for accountability from landlords.
—Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 8 May 2024
For the first time, however, a lawsuit has alleged substandard living conditions and shoddy upkeep in the western tower of the residential complex.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 1 May 2024
The prosecutors have accused the contractors who built Renaissance of failing to follow the building codes in place at the time, using substandard materials and neglecting to ensure that the structure was sound.
—Ben Hubbard, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Former Mayor Williams says many children are bitten by rats, and the problem is worse where residents live in substandard housing and are preoccupied with more pressing challenges than trash containment.
—Sophie Hills, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Association of American Railroads (AAR) directed Fortune to a May 2023 letter from the trade group accusing Amtrak of substandard performance on its Sunset Limited line that runs from New Orleans and Los Angeles.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 19 May 2024
Broadening immunity Nursing home operators also have cited immunity to foil negligence lawsuits based on falls or other allegations of substandard care, such as bedsores, with little obvious connection to the pandemic, court records show.
—Fred Schulte | Kff Health News, ABC News, 11 May 2024
The apes, capable of speech and wearing substandard breastplates that might have been bought at a Roman Empire warehouse sale, have taken over the world.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 10 May 2024
Renters in Detroit have long raised concerns about substandard living conditions and evictions, and pushed for accountability from landlords.
—Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 8 May 2024
For the first time, however, a lawsuit has alleged substandard living conditions and shoddy upkeep in the western tower of the residential complex.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 1 May 2024
The prosecutors have accused the contractors who built Renaissance of failing to follow the building codes in place at the time, using substandard materials and neglecting to ensure that the structure was sound.
—Ben Hubbard, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Former Mayor Williams says many children are bitten by rats, and the problem is worse where residents live in substandard housing and are preoccupied with more pressing challenges than trash containment.
—Sophie Hills, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'substandard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near substandard
Cite this Entry
“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substandard. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
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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