Word for low quality

asked Mar 21, 2017 at 15:37

I think the word substandard might be a good fit.
Some official definitions of this word include:

• Failing to meet a standard; below standard.
• Of inferior quality; not meeting the minimum quality requirements.
• Less than the normal standard.
• falling short of some prescribed norm
• below the usual or required standard (link)

As an example usage, blogger Christopher Scott wrote:

Operating a business based on hiring and employing the lowest-cost worker, however, usually results in substandard products.

answered Mar 21, 2017 at 15:46

I would also submit subpar.

• below an average, usual, or normal level, quality, or the like; below par:
  This month his performance has been subpar.

answered Mar 21, 2017 at 18:16

A noun for a product that is below-standard quality is lemon. From Merriam-Webster’s Definition for English Language Learners:

a product that is not made well : a product that does not work the way it should

In your example, if the product was inspected and guaranteed to be up to certain standards, then it should not be an actual lemon. However, you might still say that

People assumed that the refurbished product was (or would be) a lemon.

Note that we ordinarily wouldn’t need to use the word quality, since the term lemon includes a judgment of poor quality.

This term might be more common in American English than other dialects (in the US we even have «lemon laws» protecting consumers from bad quality products). It also is slightly informal, although it is sometimes used in technical contexts relating to product liability.

answered Mar 21, 2017 at 19:29

Em.♦Em.

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«Remanufactured», «refurbished», and «rebuilt» are good descriptions for the kinds of products that the original poster asked about in the comments. For example, automobile manufacturers offer «rebuilt» engines, transmissions, and other parts. These products typically meet the same standards as the original parts. They are typically either sold at a discounted price, or they are sold when the original product is no longer being made.

«Seconds» are products that are rejected because they do not meet the standards for «first-rate» products, but are sold at a discount to customers who are aware that the products have some defects. For example, I own ceramic dishes that are somewhat wavy. I did not pay much for them, because they were «seconds».

answered Mar 21, 2017 at 19:04

There are many words that can fit that description..

Probably one of the most common is «subpar» where «sub» obvioulsy means ‘below’ and «par» means ‘expectation’ like in golf. So the word subpar literally means ‘below-expectations’

Other words you can use, which aren’t as good of a fit but still make sense are:

Lackluster — Often used to describe the performance of an individual i.e. a sportsperson or businessperson.

Bemusing — A word used to describe something that turned out to be less interesting/exciting than intended. Ie. a bemusing play, or a bemusing announcement.

There are also more generalistic words that would also work here, however they would also work in other scenarios that do not match this context there are LOADS of words you can pick from in the English language like:
Disappointing, Unimpressive, Let-down

And one final point, no one will have trouble understanding if you just use below-expectations as an adjective/noun like the following examples:

The sales teams’ performance this week was below-expectation.

The sales team had a under-expected performance this week.

answered Mar 23, 2017 at 13:24

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Synonyms for Low quality. (2016). Retrieved 2023, April 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/low_quality

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Synonyms for Low quality. 2016. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/low_quality.