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
Despite a subpar season, Cease's consistency over the past six years could still land him a sizeable contract, and Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report has the Detroit Tigers on his list of potential landing spots for the former Cy Young runner-up.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
After a pair of subpar performances in recent days, Messi was back to his usual self against the Revolution.
—Franco Panizo, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
The subpar defense exacerbated the team’s pitching woes, the strengths of the club’s hurlers aligning poorly with the weaknesses of the fielders behind them.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
And Kelce is having another subpar night, with only two catches for four yards so far.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
After a pair of subpar performances in recent days, Messi was back to his usual self against the Revolution.
—Franco Panizo, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
The subpar defense exacerbated the team’s pitching woes, the strengths of the club’s hurlers aligning poorly with the weaknesses of the fielders behind them.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
And Kelce is having another subpar night, with only two catches for four yards so far.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 22 Sep. 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 15 Oct. 2025.
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