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
In times past, the Vatican Bank had a subpar reputation for voluntary compliance with financial transparency initiatives.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
The Mariners may be cursed Seattle is 5-8 to start the season, which is not the worst-case scenario, but consider the news yesterday brought on top of the subpar start: Both Victor Robles and Ryan Bliss, two important contributors, will miss extended time after freak injuries this week.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Republicans flooded the polls on Election Day, an indication that nationalizing the race and raising the stakes energized the Trump base, even on behalf of a subpar candidate.
—David Catanese, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
However, the flimsy handle and the subpar squeegee blade give me strong reservations.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 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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Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
The Mariners may be cursed Seattle is 5-8 to start the season, which is not the worst-case scenario, but consider the news yesterday brought on top of the subpar start: Both Victor Robles and Ryan Bliss, two important contributors, will miss extended time after freak injuries this week.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Republicans flooded the polls on Election Day, an indication that nationalizing the race and raising the stakes energized the Trump base, even on behalf of a subpar candidate.
—David Catanese, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
However, the flimsy handle and the subpar squeegee blade give me strong reservations.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 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 3 Jul. 2025.
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