substandard

adjective

sub·​stan·​dard ˌsəb-ˈstan-dərd How to pronounce substandard (audio)
Synonyms of substandardnext
: 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 of substandard

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of substandard in a Sentence

a teacher who rejects substandard work without hesitation
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But Reddick shouldn’t yet be counted out because his recent downturn is more due to rotten luck than substandard performance. — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 4 July 2026 High-rise buildings housing hundreds of apartments pancaked in the earthquakes, reviving questions about substandard construction. — Fernanda Pesce, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 So the team studied medical practice laws in other states, actions by their medical boards involving alternative medicine and board orders for substandard care. — Carrie Teegardin, AJC.com, 8 July 2026 Many structures are built with substandard materials, and safety regulations are frequently ignored to reduce costs. — CNN Money, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for substandard

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of substandard was in 1850

Rhymes for substandard

See All Rhymes for substandard

Browse Nearby Words

substance P
substandard
substantiable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Substandard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substandard. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

substandard

adjective
sub·​stan·​dard ˌsəb-ˈstan-dərd How to pronounce substandard (audio)
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

Legal Definition

substandard

adjective
sub·​stan·​dard
: deviating from or falling short of a standard or norm: as
a
: of a quality lower than that prescribed by law
b
: constituting a greater than normal risk to an insurer

More from Merriam-Webster on substandard

Nglish: Translation of substandard for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All