suboptimal en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /sʌbˈɒptɪməl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /sʌbˈɑptɪməl/ (General-American)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub-der. English sub- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épi Proto-Indo-European *-tm̥mos ? Latin optimus English -al English optimal English suboptimal From sub- + optimal.
Meanings
-
(not-comparable) Worse than optimal; of less than the highest standard or quality.
"The way the consultation has been handled is suboptimal," she continued.
2023 October 4, Mel Holley, “Network News: Conservative MPs criticise ticket office closure plans”, in RAIL, number 993, page 23:A quickly produced suboptimal solution to a problem is often more useful than an optimal one that takes a long time to produce.
Near-synonym: submaximal
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sub-optimal | alternative | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
Synonyms
inoptimal · nonoptimal · submaximal
Translations (11)
fi alioptimaalinen (less than optimal) · ro suboptimal (less than optimal) · fr suboptimal (less than optimal) · ms suboptimum (less than optimal) · cs suboptimální (less than optimal) · es subóptimo (less than optimal) · it subottimale (less than optimal) · id suboptimal (less than optimal) · el υποβέλτιστος (less than optimal) · de suboptimal (less than optimal) · ru неоптимальный (less than optimal)