adjective
substandard
suhb-STAN-duhd
Substandard (adjective) means Below the accepted level of quality; not good enough. Example: “The inspector condemned the building for substandard wiring.”
adjective
1
Below the accepted level of quality; not good enough.
"The inspector condemned the building for substandard wiring."
"Workers complained about substandard housing near the factory."
2
Not matching the standard, "correct" form of a language or dialect.
"Linguists study substandard speech patterns without judging them as wrong."
How to use substandard
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishNot good enough — below the normal quality bar expected for something.
Common pairings
substandard conditions
substandard housing
substandard quality
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Word forms
- Comparative
- more substandard
- Superlative
- most substandard
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The inspector condemned the building for _____ wiring.
Etymology
From sub- ("below") plus standard.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for substandard
See all rhymes for substandard →Frequently asked questions
What does “substandard” mean?
The word “substandard” means below the accepted level of quality; not good enough. In plain terms, not good enough — below the normal quality bar expected for something.
How do you pronounce “substandard”?
“Substandard” is pronounced suhb-STAN-duhd (/ˌsʌbˈstændɚd/ in IPA).
How do you use “substandard” in a sentence?
Here is “substandard” used in a sentence: “The inspector condemned the building for substandard wiring.”
What part of speech is “substandard”?
“Substandard” is an adjective.
How many meanings does “substandard” have?
“Substandard” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: below the accepted level of quality; not good enough.
