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 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 Some consumers have also complained that bulk billing arrangements can burden them with a single, subpar internet service that costs more. Michael Kan, PCMAG, 27 Jan. 2025 Raises are earned, and should not be expected, especially if work performance is subpar; however, that is not the case in this situation. Soo Kim, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025 An endless array of products doesn’t impress if the experience is subpar. Lauren Parker, WWD, 15 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for subpar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subpar
Adjective
  • The alternative — courts that fail to protect our fundamental rights — is unacceptable.
    Peter Martin, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Environmental groups have long opposed the new reservoir and objected to a shorter judicial review, saying the project will release unacceptable amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas, into the air in addition to other adverse impacts.
    Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • And another research team, using data from 2015 to 2022, observed in an article available in Energy Research and Social Science that poor income distribution correlates with social unrest when fossil fuel subsidies are removed.
    Aldo Flores-Quiroga, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
  • And poor work conditions can hurt morale in any field.
    Jeff Weiner, Axios, 28 Feb. 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
  • Other indicators consistently suggested Trump had the upper hand, such as weak Biden approval ratings, belief that the country was on the wrong track, and the strength of candidates on the main issue, inflation.
    Clifford Young, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Recently, inflation has been moving in the wrong direction.
    Alain Sherter, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Infinitely worse is Kenneth Marshall, the leader of the expedition and the wannabe conqueror of Niflheim.
    Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025
  • However, irrational exuberance can leads stocks of good companies to be bad stocks.
    Hersh Shefrin, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Kraken was also accused of having deficient internal controls and record keeping.
    Jonathan Stempel, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Since then, however, Wells Fargo has pulled back roughly 18%, as of the close on Monday, which continued a terrible recent stretch for the overall market due to economic uncertainty stemming from concern about the impact of President Donald Trump ‘s tariffs.
    Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The New York Yankees received terrible news on Monday regarding Gerrit Cole's injury.
    Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Some compare Sanders to Geno Smith — not flattering, but not horrible.
    Troy Renck, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Everybody's going to be thrown, according to , into all these horrible situations.
    Hugh Cameron, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Subpar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subpar. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

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