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
But midway through last year, something changed, and he's been a subpar hitter for over 200 games now.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Otherwise, many buy cheap subpar insurance that leaves them with insurmountable debt following a medical crisis.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
The Dragon Bravo Fire has added to what has been a subpar year attendance-wise for Grand Canyon National Park.
—Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 10 Aug. 2025
What has alarmed policymakers for decades is that the U.S. experiences comparatively subpar life expectancy despite spending considerably more on healthcare.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Otherwise, many buy cheap subpar insurance that leaves them with insurmountable debt following a medical crisis.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
The Dragon Bravo Fire has added to what has been a subpar year attendance-wise for Grand Canyon National Park.
—Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 10 Aug. 2025
What has alarmed policymakers for decades is that the U.S. experiences comparatively subpar life expectancy despite spending considerably more on healthcare.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 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 29 Aug. 2025.
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