subpar

adjective

sub·​par ˈsəb-ˌpär 

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

Because of phylloxera, vineyards have been inconsistent and yielding subpar grapes.

—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

… Augusta National never played easier. … Saturday's 30 subpar rounds broke a third-round tournament record …

—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.

Synonyms

• bad
• bastard
• bush
• bush-league
• crummy
• crumby
• deficient
• dissatisfactory
• ill
• inferior
• lame
• lousy
• off
• paltry
• poor
• punk
• sour
• suboptimal
• substandard
• unacceptable
• unsatisfactory
• wack [slang]
• wanting
• wretched
• wrong

Examples of subpar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Those who are disadvantaged, lacking adequate insurance or entirely uninsured often slip through the cracks, receiving subpar treatment due to disparities in coverage. —Seth Bogner, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

At 34, Stanton realizes the repercussions of another subpar season, especially after the Yankees acquired Juan Soto and Trent Grisham. —Ronald Blum, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2024

Instead, Zuckerberg was criticized for targeting India’s poor with a subpar version of the web. —Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2024

Knowledge of effective sales techniques and human behavior helps, but a one-size-fits-all approach is always subpar. —Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

Even though the season was considered subpar from a content standpoint, people still watched. —Jon Hoefling, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2024

Advertisement In fairness to Stick, the pass-catching corps was subpar. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Dec. 2023

On one hand, he has been brought in by the current manager for near £100 million just 18 months ago; but on the other, his performances have been drastically subpar with no real sign of improvement. —Liam Canning, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

While Chapman had a subpar platform year at the plate, his absence would be palpable with the Blue Jays – and either of these teams failing to add him would leave glaring holes. —Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above