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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subpar 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 Not even with the warning signs from last year — a 17-19 record under Doc Rivers and a subpar season from Damian Lillard. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for subpar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subpar
Adjective
  • But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable.
    Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
  • But for a lot of people following Markle's every move anything other than perfection is unacceptable.
    Alanna Bennett, refinery29.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • But there is another concerning trend and area that has to be improved — their poor record on second balls.
    Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Flooding may also occur in poor drainage and urban areas.
    Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • 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
  • The question of the night is the choice between selling out their souls to the vapid American tourists at the Tropicana nightclub (bad) or singing for their own people on the wrong side of the tracks (good).
    Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2025
  • But Nicol isn’t wrong to think that the real entertainment is coming from inside the house, where the spry Gita may love nothing more than to be on camera.
    Stephen Saito, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Jayson Tatum kept the Celtics in the game most of the night with 33 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, but Brown had one of his worst games of the year with just 10 points.
    Jay King, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The market, however, believes the opposite: That a trade war is bad, is easy to lose, and could plunge the U.S. into an avoidable recession.
    Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Kraken was also accused of having deficient internal controls and record keeping.
    Jonathan Stempel, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Those studies show that supplementing with vitamin A in people who are deficient can lead to milder infections with diseases like measles.
    Alice Park, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The New York Yankees received terrible news on Monday regarding Gerrit Cole's injury.
    Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Other adults in the room opt to avert their eyes as Jamie disrobes, but Eddie can’t turn away, out of a mix of protectiveness and horrified shock, in the same way that there’s no editor to protect the characters, the actors, or the audience from having to live in each terrible moment of the scene.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The tech giant had a horrible week, off nearly 11% in the period despite Friday’s relief bounce.
    Pia Singh, CNBC, 14 Mar. 2025
  • This is really happening and these horrible things are happening and that this person doesn't want to be happening.
    Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Subpar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subpar. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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