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
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
Getting to face the lowly Orlando Magic, who themselves are in the middle of their own stretch of subpar play since Dwight Howard left the building more than a decade earlier.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
With the third-year pro also coming off a subpar 2025 campaign, Wells’ offensive capabilities have been the subject of questioning in recent weeks and months.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who went first Thursday, to the Raiders, shredded a subpar Bama defense, putting additional heat on Simpson.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Getting to face the lowly Orlando Magic, who themselves are in the middle of their own stretch of subpar play since Dwight Howard left the building more than a decade earlier.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
With the third-year pro also coming off a subpar 2025 campaign, Wells’ offensive capabilities have been the subject of questioning in recent weeks and months.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who went first Thursday, to the Raiders, shredded a subpar Bama defense, putting additional heat on Simpson.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 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 30 Apr. 2026.
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