substandard
Americanadjective
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below standard or less than adequate.
substandard housing conditions.
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noting or pertaining to a dialect or variety of a language or a feature of usage that is often considered by others to mark its user as uneducated; nonstandard.
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Insurance.
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not measuring up to an insurer's regular standards in undertaking risks.
a substandard risk.
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pertaining to insurance written to cover substandard risks.
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adjective
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below an established or required standard
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another word for nonstandard
Etymology
Origin of substandard
Explanation
Something substandard is below standard — it’s shoddy or inferior. If your final paper for honors English class is scribbled on a torn sheet of notebook paper, that’s substandard work that you’ll probably have to do over. A standard is a quality by which something is judged, and sub can mean “under” like a submarine that goes under water. So things that are substandard fall below most people's standards — they're deficient in some way. A computer that stops working after two weeks is substandard. A car with faulty brakes is substandard. Substandard things are the opposite of well-made things. Turning in substandard work is a good way to get a bad grade.
Vocabulary lists containing substandard
Oh, No! Synonyms for "Bad"
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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.
He was shocked by the Venezuelan government’s response, as well as the substandard construction that led buildings to collapse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
New Zealand were caught cold on the substandard pitch at Lord's, yet here they were much too disciplined, skilful and wily for the callow England team.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
As a result, many working-class Korean and Latino immigrant households lived side by side and often confronted similar challenges, including substandard housing conditions, landlord abuses and underfunded public schools.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Fabio Gutierrez, a 34-year-old minibus driver, spent over $1,000 to repair the damage caused to his engine by the substandard fuel.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
“So that tells me that Alton Slater’s a substandard businessman,” he replied.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
