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
The Democrats were convinced America would accept a subpar president — but this?
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026
Oliver first joked about the initial lineup, which included artists like Martina McBride, Milli Vanilli, Vanilla Ice and Bret Michaels, being subpar.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 1 June 2026
All of them benefited from playing in subpar divisions.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 1 June 2026
The clashes at Delaney Hall are an apparent culmination of monthslong accusations about the facility’s subpar conditions from detainees, their relatives, and local officials.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 1 June 2026
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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Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026
Oliver first joked about the initial lineup, which included artists like Martina McBride, Milli Vanilli, Vanilla Ice and Bret Michaels, being subpar.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 1 June 2026
All of them benefited from playing in subpar divisions.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 1 June 2026
The clashes at Delaney Hall are an apparent culmination of monthslong accusations about the facility’s subpar conditions from detainees, their relatives, and local officials.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 1 June 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 5 Jun. 2026.
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