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
Cruise framed the film's subpar reception as a teachable moment.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 16 May 2025
But a good partner can make even a subpar project worthwhile.
—Dr. Eric George, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Without Francisco Alvarez for 25 games, New York ranked 16th in wins above replacement behind the plate, its subpar offense (68 wRC+) mitigated by outstanding defense from Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, on top of all that quarterback jockeying, Schoen and Daboll also need to significantly improve their subpar roster in order to prevent the bottom falling out on their team for a second straight season in 2025.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 16 May 2025
But a good partner can make even a subpar project worthwhile.
—Dr. Eric George, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Without Francisco Alvarez for 25 games, New York ranked 16th in wins above replacement behind the plate, its subpar offense (68 wRC+) mitigated by outstanding defense from Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, on top of all that quarterback jockeying, Schoen and Daboll also need to significantly improve their subpar roster in order to prevent the bottom falling out on their team for a second straight season in 2025.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 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 24 May. 2025.
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