as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
the service at the restaurant was subpar, to say the least
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subpar
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The 24-year-old was the first player withdrawn at the BayArena when he was replaced by Noni Madueke on 60 minutes after a subpar performance — a decision that proved correct from Arteta as Madueke won the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
The 32-year-old Arvidsson was attempting to revive his career after injuries and a subpar season in Edmonton.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subpar
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The 24-year-old was the first player withdrawn at the BayArena when he was replaced by Noni Madueke on 60 minutes after a subpar performance — a decision that proved correct from Arteta as Madueke won the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
The 32-year-old Arvidsson was attempting to revive his career after injuries and a subpar season in Edmonton.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subpar
Adjective
-
Even in the absence of any proven crime committed by Tisch, even in the naivest retelling or understanding of Tisch’s correspondences with Epstein, his unacceptable relationship with this man deserves censure.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Artemis has been trudging along at a once-every-three-years flight rate, which Isaacman deems unacceptable.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Serious Medical and Emotional Neglect Turner said Kaiko arrived in poor health, suffering from multiple medical issues and signs of prolonged neglect.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The city of Plano scores restaurants on a 100-point system, with 100 considered a perfect score and 70 extremely poor.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Sometimes that’s totally wrong, because people are overestimating their kids or underestimating Joan Mitchell or whomever.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Or show off the Sombor Shuffle with an 11-footer off the wrong foot.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 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
-
Bernadine appeared to be useless—or, worse, a potential double agent.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
This is very bad for our health.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Most were sterilized because they were believed to be mentally ill or mentally deficient.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
-
In fact, 18% of postmenopausal women are deficient in vitamin B12, a 2025 study published in the Indian Menopause Society’s Journal of Mid-Life Health found.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This is a terrible blow against reform and the Dems should be ashamed.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Here are five novels that have been tied to terrible crimes.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This is going to be a horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad day.—
Nathan Rott,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
-
In another case, a 10-year-old girl contracted horrible lesions on 10 percent of her body — mostly on her legs — after contact with giant hogweed.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subpar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subpar. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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