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
But his three-point shooting isn’t very good (27.1 percent), his assist-to-turnover ratio is subpar (4.1 to 3.6), and his defense remains a work in progress.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025
And the corner room’s overall talent and depth are subpar.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 27 Feb. 2025
His conference call last week was subpar to say the least.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 3 Feb. 2025
Another nice outing for the run defense, though the Seahawks' offensive line hardly struck any fear, playing with subpar guards and a third-string right tackle.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025
And the corner room’s overall talent and depth are subpar.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 27 Feb. 2025
His conference call last week was subpar to say the least.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 3 Feb. 2025
Another nice outing for the run defense, though the Seahawks' offensive line hardly struck any fear, playing with subpar guards and a third-string right tackle.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Cite this Entry
“Subpar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subpar. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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