suboptimal

Also sub·op·ti·mum

[suhb-op-tuh-muhl]

adjective

1. being below an optimal level or standard.

Word History and Origins

Origin of suboptimal¹

First recorded in 1930–35; sub- + optimal

Example Sentences

On a more quotidian basis, my physicians simply ignore a lot of what I say and, of course, they can’t be expected to remember everything about every patient, opening the door to various suboptimal consequences.

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Lopez’s ubiquity confronted them with two suboptimal choices: either acknowledge a history of racial homogeneity or pretend to have always been butt boosters.

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Sticking with some fixed percentage just felt wrong and suboptimal to me.

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It was another suboptimal week for American politics news.

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But I think in this particular case, that it is suboptimal because it leads Democratic Party voters to be angry with and attack their own party and its leadership.

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Related Words

• substandard 

When To Use

What does suboptimal mean?

Suboptimal means below the optimal (best possible) level or standard.The words optimal and optimum both describe an ideal or perfect level, degree, result, or similar thing. Suboptimal means something has fallen short of that level. It is often used in phrases like suboptimal performance and suboptimal conditions.Example: The patient’s heart is performing at a suboptimal level.