Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

subnormal

American  
[suhb-nawr-muhl] / sʌbˈnɔr məl /

adjective

  1. below the normal; less than or inferior to the normal.

    a subnormal amount of rain.

  2. being less than average in any psychological trait, as intelligence, personality, or emotional adjustment.

noun

  1. a subnormal person.

  2. Geometry. that part of the x-axis of a curve cut off between the ordinate and a normal.

subnormal British  
/ ˌsʌbnɔːˈmælɪtɪ, sʌbˈnɔːməl /

adjective

  1. less than the normal

  2. having a low intelligence, esp having an IQ of less than 70

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a subnormal person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • subnormality noun
  • subnormally adverb

Etymology

Origin of subnormal

First recorded in 1700–10; sub- + normal

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Following years of pressure and campaigning, the 1981 Education Act enshrined inclusivity in law and the term "educationally subnormal" was abolished as a defining category.

From BBC • May 19, 2021

The judge said subnormal intelligence is just one consideration in a competency decision.

From Washington Times • Jul. 25, 2018

“China should accept the new normal of slower trend growth. But in doing so, it should not fall prey to a new subnormal of below-trend growth.”

From New York Times • Jan. 20, 2015

Many trials of vitamins and minerals are performed on the population at large instead of on a subpopulation with subnormal levels of those substances. 

From Forbes • Aug. 27, 2014

The thermometer registered a half degree lower than his usual subnormal temperature of 96.8.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.