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
Meanwhile, the Bulls posted a subpar 5-8 record this regular season in games played at a pace of 100 possessions per 48 minutes or slower.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Somehow, those are his best odds heading into Augusta National despite what has been — by his standards — a subpar season.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2025
The Lakers also needed to take care of the ball against an opponent that relies heavily on transition opportunities to make up for its subpar half-court offense.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 1 Apr. 2025
The Problem For Users Improper verification systems result in a subpar user experience—one characterized by spam and irrelevant content—which directly affects a platform’s reputation and, thus, new sign-ups and retention.
—Rodger Desai, Forbes, 25 Mar. 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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Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Somehow, those are his best odds heading into Augusta National despite what has been — by his standards — a subpar season.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2025
The Lakers also needed to take care of the ball against an opponent that relies heavily on transition opportunities to make up for its subpar half-court offense.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 1 Apr. 2025
The Problem For Users Improper verification systems result in a subpar user experience—one characterized by spam and irrelevant content—which directly affects a platform’s reputation and, thus, new sign-ups and retention.
—Rodger Desai, Forbes, 25 Mar. 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 4 May. 2025.
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