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
Verstappen, who won four championships from 2021 through 2024, was voted by fellow drivers and team bosses as the greatest driver last year after dragging a subpar car to within inches of a fifth title, narrowly losing out to McLaren’s Lando Norris.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Even in subpar seasons, the Red Sox are a doubles machine because of Fenway’s dimensions.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
That's subpar compared with the $599 Even Realities G2, which can comfortably last the day with regular use.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
An 'extreme situation' Former Navy officials said the pictures of service members' subpar meals looked markedly worse than the quality of eats during their time in Navy service.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subpar
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.
Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Even in subpar seasons, the Red Sox are a doubles machine because of Fenway’s dimensions.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
That's subpar compared with the $599 Even Realities G2, which can comfortably last the day with regular use.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
An 'extreme situation' Former Navy officials said the pictures of service members' subpar meals looked markedly worse than the quality of eats during their time in Navy service.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Cite this Entry
“Subpar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subpar. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
