variants
or less commonly sub-par
chiefly US
: below par: such as
a
: below a usual or normal level or standard
subpar attendance
a subpar performance
Why would a major football school fire a successful coach following a single subpar season?—
Jerry Kirshenbaum
Jerry KirshenbaumBecause of phylloxera, vineyards have been inconsistent and yielding subpar grapes.—James Laube
James Laube
b
golf
: having a score lower than par
His 19 birdies and two eagles gave him more subpar holes than anyone …—David Barrett
David Barrett… Augusta National never played easier. … Saturday's 30 subpar rounds broke a third-round tournament record …—John Garrity
John Garrity
Did you know?
Since sub- means "below", almost anything that fails to measure up to a traditional standard may be called subpar. So you may hear of subpar ratings for a TV show, subpar care at a nursing home, subpar attendance at a concert, or subpar work by a contractor. If you played a subpar round of golf, though, you needed more strokes than you should have.
Examples of subpar in a Sentence
the service at the restaurant was subpar, to say the least
Recent Examples on the Web
In other words, subpar data leads to subpar AI.
—Gangesh Pathak, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The county filed an eviction lawsuit last year, citing allegations of subpar care of the dolphins, manatees and sea lions that are the star attractions there.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
If Brown has another subpar game on Sunday, don't be surprised if the trade rumors continue.
—Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
But the rest of Mahomes’ supporting cast ranged from subpar to fringe-average.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Gangesh Pathak, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The county filed an eviction lawsuit last year, citing allegations of subpar care of the dolphins, manatees and sea lions that are the star attractions there.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
If Brown has another subpar game on Sunday, don't be surprised if the trade rumors continue.
—Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
But the rest of Mahomes’ supporting cast ranged from subpar to fringe-average.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Cite this Entry
“Subpar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subpar. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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