suboptimal

An optimal situation or solution is the best one possible under certain circumstances. Something that's suboptimal falls short of being perfect.

In everyday language, "suboptimal" often pops up when we talk about something that's not quite meeting our expectations, but we can't change it right away. For example, imagine you're planning a road trip and the traffic is terrible on the highway. The roads are suboptimal for driving during rush hour because they get congested easily, making your journey longer than expected. You might hear someone say that their work process is suboptimal if there's too much paperwork involved or inefficiencies in the workflow.

The word "suboptimal" can also be used to describe something that's just okay, but not outstanding. For instance, a hotel room might have a suboptimal view of the city if it faces a wall instead of the main street. In this case, "suboptimal" doesn't mean bad or terrible; it means less than perfect.

It's worth noting that "suboptimal" is often used in technical and scientific contexts, particularly when discussing performance metrics or outcomes. In these cases, the goal is usually to identify areas for improvement so that things can be optimized further.