as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
the service at the restaurant was subpar, to say the least
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Recent Examples of subpar
There have been outbreaks of tuberculosis and measles at the site, and ICE officers have used the dangerously subpar conditions to pressure detainees to sign papers authorizing their deportation.
—
Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
Small crowds and subpar basketball were the norm for the first three days of the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center, where 14 of the 18 teams played to try to advance to the quarterfinals.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
Valentine, who grew up in Columbia and graduated from Mount Saint Joseph, sounded particularly moved by the team’s achievement after enduring two subpar seasons.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 15 Mar. 2026
The 24-year-old was the first player withdrawn at the BayArena when he was replaced by Noni Madueke on 60 minutes after a subpar performance — a decision that proved correct from Arteta as Madueke won the late penalty that rescued a draw for his side.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
Small crowds and subpar basketball were the norm for the first three days of the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center, where 14 of the 18 teams played to try to advance to the quarterfinals.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
Valentine, who grew up in Columbia and graduated from Mount Saint Joseph, sounded particularly moved by the team’s achievement after enduring two subpar seasons.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 15 Mar. 2026
The 24-year-old was the first player withdrawn at the BayArena when he was replaced by Noni Madueke on 60 minutes after a subpar performance — a decision that proved correct from Arteta as Madueke won the late penalty that rescued a draw for his side.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subpar
Adjective
-
Killing dogs in the street became increasingly unacceptable, and rabies vaccines became available.—
Rachel Sugar,
Curbed,
8 Apr. 2026
-
To Hafley, that’s unacceptable.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
These closures reflect various factors, including poor investment returns, a lack of government support for refinery upgrades and higher carbon and energy costs.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
15 Apr. 2026
-
After McCandless and her council colleagues approved the sweeping tax breaks, King consistently spoke on how its planning process exemplified poor communication from the city, saying that current leaders should have advocated for a better deal for Independence.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Now 43-38, Charlotte has lost ground this week with difficult losses to Boston and Detroit that followed the same blueprint, as the Hornets fell off a cliff in the fourth quarter at the wrong time.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Overfertilizing Fertilizing too much or at the wrong time could potentially damage plant roots, leading to leaf damage and eventual drop.—
Alexandra Jones,
The Spruce,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But large-scale remedies, such as finding alternative sources of revenue like a general tax increase to offset property tax cuts, are less likely when lawmakers and Pritzker are seeking reelection — though political pressures are lessened after the November general election in a lame-duck session.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
This struck me as heartbreakingly lame and, therefore, as a moment of vital consequence.—
Amanda Peet,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Kawhi Leonard sat out for the Clippers to rest ankle and wrist injuries, while Draymond Green was out for the Warriors with a bad back.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Was Paul’s effect on history, incalculably large, good or bad on the whole?—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But with these recent iterations of the Heat, that overriding faith has proved damaging, creating a deficient team (Miami’s 23-32 against top-10 seeds) and diminished trade assets and leaving the franchise stuck in a play-in abyss with no clear escape route.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
-
But in 2026, that savings account has been woefully deficient.—
Imtiaz Rangwala,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
At that point, something terrible, something on the scale of the Maidan protests in Ukraine in 2014, is not inconceivable.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Between some horrendous screw-ups, terrible decision-making, and some plain old bad luck, their situation, and that of their mother, Linda Morelli (Laurie Metcalf), who is running for mayor, only gets worse.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the case of this April 1, Atlanta just experienced a horrible and tragic Wednesday in traffic.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Your cabdriver is taking you on a horrible route.—
Zach Schiffman,
Curbed,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subpar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subpar. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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