suboptimal
Americanadjective
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of suboptimal
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.
After three suboptimal innings, Glasnow settled down in a trust-building exercise of an outing against the Giants and their triple A-caliber lineup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
But in the past, when the two metrics have gotten close to these levels, suboptimal returns have followed, regardless of where valuations stood.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Speaking recently to the No Laying Up podcast, USGA's John Bodenhamer, the man responsible for course set-up this year accepted the previous conditions had been suboptimal but insisted they had "learned a lot".
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
As part of this process, O’Neill will need to define the future of the low carbon business which has been a source of suboptimal investments and still needs careful management, Rainforth adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Gat smiles when I say the word suboptimal and pats my shoulder.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
