as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard the service at the restaurant was subpar, to say the least

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subpar Or perhaps letting your colleague know that their email writing skills are subpar? Dmitry Malin, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025 Petry averaged nearly 19 minutes per game (fourth among Red Wings defensemen) and was saddled with a subpar partner in Ben Chiarot. Harman Dayal, New York Times, 11 July 2025 Funding concerns Both Siedle and Brown have concerns that CalPERS is failing its fiduciary responsibility to its members by producing subpar investment results. William Melhado july 11, Sacbee.com, 11 July 2025 It was cancelled after two short seasons (and was further punished with a subpar American remake) but this dystopian series is filled with twists, sociopathy, and secret puppetmasters. Rory Doherty, Time, 27 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for subpar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subpar
Adjective
  • In his short stint in Scranton, that number has come down a hair, but still resides at an unacceptable 29.4%.
    Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
  • Mistakes should not be viewed as failures or unacceptable setbacks, but rather as calculated risks—necessary steps in the iterative journey of progress.
    Davide Sartini, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • Spurred by climate change, Canadian wildfires have increasingly exacerbated poor air quality across Milwaukee and southern Wisconsin.
    Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
  • Because her judgment is so poor, your aggressively driving grandmother should not be behind the wheel.
    Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.
    Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
  • Anxiety about your bowel habits may stem from the belief that there’s something wrong with them.
    Sarah Garone, Health, 30 July 2025
  • If the calculation is wrong, everything downstream—equipment selection, duct sizing, airflow balancing—will also be off.
    Brynn Cooksey, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
Adjective
  • Making the timing of this move even worse, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, the nation’s most high-profile banker, is warning that private credit funds may be heading for a 2008-style crisis.
    Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 July 2025
  • Earlier this month, employees at the Environmental Protection Agency, filed their own letter, with even worse results; 140 of them were placed on administrative leave.
    Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • How the Braves unraveled In hindsight, the Atlanta Braves’ offseason looks rather deficient.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 11 July 2025
  • On appeal the Circuit Court ordered the Zoning Board to reconsider the case again, finding the Board’s second decision also legally deficient.
    Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 10 July 2025
Adjective
  • Friday was particularly unsettling as terrible jobs data slammed the market and triggered President Donald Trump .
    Zev Fima, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2025
  • My heart goes out to all of the Jewish children, grandchildren and future great-grandchildren who must ultimately bear the brunt of the terrible additional worldwide antisemitism caused directly by the horrific actions of the Israeli government over the past two years.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Because of Denise Gough's human frailty as a woman destroyed by her own ambition and Kyle Soller's cowardice in the face of a horrible truth.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 July 2025
  • Soak up the gall of losing, absorb the horrible information, feel it to the full, go there—and then rebound, with superb elasticity.
    James Parker, The Atlantic, 22 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Subpar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subpar. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.

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