Meaning & use
sub-optimization
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Meanings
noununcountabletechnicalbusiness
A situation where one part of a system is made as good as possible, but the whole system works worse.
Grammar: Mostly uncountable; use it with no article, as in 'This is a case of sub-optimization.'
Patterns
- sub-optimization of something
- lead to sub-optimization
- a case of sub-optimization
Cutting costs in one department caused sub-optimization: the whole company became slower.
The report warns that sub-optimization often happens when teams compete instead of sharing information.
Managers study sub-optimization to avoid making one unit efficient at the expense of the rest.
noununcountabletechnicalbusiness
The act of improving one part of something while ignoring the needs of the whole.
Grammar: Also uncountable; it names the process, not a single event you can count.
Patterns
- avoid sub-optimization
- sub-optimization in something
Sub-optimization in the supply chain left warehouses full while shops ran out of stock.
Good leaders try to prevent sub-optimization by setting goals for the entire organization.
Common combinations
- lead to sub-optimization
- Rewarding one team alone can lead to sub-optimization.
- avoid sub-optimization
- Clear shared goals help us avoid sub-optimization.
- a case of sub-optimization
- The delay was a clear case of sub-optimization.
- sub-optimization of resources
- The sub-optimization of resources wasted both time and money.
Synonyms and how they differ
- inefficiency
- Inefficiency is a general word for wasting effort; sub-optimization is more specific and points to a part being improved while the whole suffers.
Opposites
Word family
- sub-optimize verb
- to improve one part in a way that harms the whole
- optimization noun
- the process of making something as good as possible
Commonly confused: sub-optimization or optimization?
sub-optimization vs optimization
Optimization is positive: making something as good as possible. Sub-optimization is negative: a local improvement that makes the whole worse.
Practice
The factory bought faster machines for one production line, but the extra parts piled up and slowed the whole plant. This is an example of ______.
Choose one answer.
Sub-optimization fits because one part improved while the whole system got worse. 'Optimization' is tempting but means the whole thing got better, which is the opposite here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sub-optimization”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.