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.
Synonyms
Examples of subpar in a Sentence
the service at the restaurant was subpar, to say the least
Recent Examples on the Web
The email claimed that their practice's rankings were subpar in the U.S.
—Ajay Prasad, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
Antonio Torres Miranda, associate commissioner of Puerto Rico's energy agency, said in the House hearing this fall that the island's power distribution and transmission systems have made progress but remain subpar.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2024
Those broadcast rights — which are converted into the broadcasting that many fans, like Anon above, feel is often subpar — are important to Grand Slams because their value is tied to in-person attendance.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Despite the hype of the NFL’s maiden voyage onto Netflix, the NBA not only held its own on Christmas but also arguably benefitted from subpar games on the gridiron.
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 26 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for subpar 
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Ajay Prasad, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
Antonio Torres Miranda, associate commissioner of Puerto Rico's energy agency, said in the House hearing this fall that the island's power distribution and transmission systems have made progress but remain subpar.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2024
Those broadcast rights — which are converted into the broadcasting that many fans, like Anon above, feel is often subpar — are important to Grand Slams because their value is tied to in-person attendance.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Despite the hype of the NFL’s maiden voyage onto Netflix, the NBA not only held its own on Christmas but also arguably benefitted from subpar games on the gridiron.
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 26 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for subpar
Dictionary Entries Near subpar
Cite this Entry
“Subpar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subpar. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
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