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
Compounding this problem, the challenge in public health—particularly around diseases such as HIV—is often getting the message across to people in the most vulnerable communities, where disease and treatment awareness may already be subpar.
—
Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
The ex-Yankee’s subpar strikeout rate last year was less than half of his career mark in the minors.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, the Bulls posted a subpar 5-8 record this regular season in games played at a pace of 100 possessions per 48 minutes or slower.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Somehow, those are his best odds heading into Augusta National despite what has been — by his standards — a subpar season.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
The ex-Yankee’s subpar strikeout rate last year was less than half of his career mark in the minors.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, the Bulls posted a subpar 5-8 record this regular season in games played at a pace of 100 possessions per 48 minutes or slower.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Somehow, those are his best odds heading into Augusta National despite what has been — by his standards — a subpar season.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subpar
Adjective
-
The first project yields too many false positives, introducing an unacceptable amount of friction into the consumer experience.—
Shazia Manus,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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The product was released in 2023 to a poor reception, and discontinued before the company began winding down operations in February.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
24 May 2025
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The original doesn’t go that deeply into it, but this poor girl was essentially forced to be a teen mom at this time in her life when all of her friends would be graduating high school and dating and thinking about their futures.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
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My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
-
Don’t hire a sales person the conventional way Traditional sales hiring focuses on the wrong signals.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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There’s no wrong way to have your bowl of pho, said Pho Momma’s owner, My Le.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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If Americans were working longer to stave off poverty, then a rising retirement age would be a bad thing, said Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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Men and women respond to the Nazi dictatorship by becoming, at best, evasive and feebly self-justifying, at worst, morally broken.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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He's been deficient as a one-on-one defender; inconsistent as a bench scorer.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
16 May 2025
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Every leader has the opportunity to assess their strength of character relative to the 11 dimensions and to understand whether what could be a virtue manifests as a deficient (underdeveloped) or an excess (unsupported) vice, which could compromise judgment and well-being.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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Djokovic knew he’d be seeded to play one of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev or Taylor Fritz in the quarters, and in the end landed Zverev, which isn’t a terrible outcome, but would leave him with a possible Sinner-Alcaraz double bill in the semifinals and final to lift the trophy.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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One night the fish was very overcooked and covered with a terrible sauce.—
Sheah Rarback,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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There’s no doubt that Lewis, abandoned as a baby by his parents, has done some horrible stuff.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2025
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Given the horrible economic incentives that government regulation has created, the surprise is not that some patients experience mistreatment.—
John C. Goodman,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subpar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subpar. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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