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Synonyms

suboptimal

American  
[suhb-op-tuh-muhl] / sʌbˈɒp tə məl /
Also suboptimum

adjective

  1. being below an optimal level or standard.

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

First recorded in 1930–35; sub- + optimal

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.