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
Led by subpar quarterback play from Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor, New York has one of the worst offensive units in the league.
—Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Chargers guards and center Bradley Bozeman, a trio whose job was made more difficult by subpar play by both offensive tackles, looked enfeebled against Indianapolis Colt tackle DeForest Buckner.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
The city allegedly accused the contractor of subpar work and demanded more than $1 million in penalties, but the judge ruled that Beador had met its contractual obligations and that the delays were not the company’s fault.
—Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 20 Oct. 2025
Polarizing in subpar extractions, but extremely magnetic and alluring in stellar ones.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 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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Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Chargers guards and center Bradley Bozeman, a trio whose job was made more difficult by subpar play by both offensive tackles, looked enfeebled against Indianapolis Colt tackle DeForest Buckner.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
The city allegedly accused the contractor of subpar work and demanded more than $1 million in penalties, but the judge ruled that Beador had met its contractual obligations and that the delays were not the company’s fault.
—Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 20 Oct. 2025
Polarizing in subpar extractions, but extremely magnetic and alluring in stellar ones.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 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 24 Oct. 2025.
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