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
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Recent Examples of subpar
The big leaguer among the three players, pitcher Drew Thorpe, had a subpar rookie season with the White Sox, underwent elbow surgery in September and had a cortisone shot in January, sidelining him until batting-practice sessions this week.
—
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
The formula Philly used to win — heavy pressure with its front four — was similar to the one the Buccaneers used in Super Bowl 55, which featured another subpar performance from Mahomes.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2025
Allen got the benefit of a rather subpar division, clinching the AFC East Dec. 1.
—Ryan Morik, Fox News, 8 Feb. 2025
Van Ness, on the other hand, has just been consistently subpar.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
The formula Philly used to win — heavy pressure with its front four — was similar to the one the Buccaneers used in Super Bowl 55, which featured another subpar performance from Mahomes.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2025
Allen got the benefit of a rather subpar division, clinching the AFC East Dec. 1.
—Ryan Morik, Fox News, 8 Feb. 2025
Van Ness, on the other hand, has just been consistently subpar.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subpar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subpar
Adjective
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Shapiro told reporters at a news conference on April 16 that regardless of the motivation for the crime, political violence must be condemned as unacceptable in our society.—
Riley Beggin,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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Tom Schwartz later says that the behavior is completely unacceptable, as does Jason.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Road conditions are rapidly deteriorating, with the percentage of roads in poor condition expected to double in two years.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Apr. 2025
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But academic research has consistently demonstrated that stadiums are poor drivers of economic growth and an analysis published last month found stadium projects spur little growth in local construction industries.—
Jonathan Shorman,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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And it’s been even harder for my daughter, Piper, who never did anything wrong.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
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However, the new price on the OnePlus store is about 50 percent higher, putting OnePlus on the wrong side of devices like the Pixel Watch and Apple Watch.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That means more time for Rojas, who has shown more bad than good to begin this season.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
18 Apr. 2025
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Thankfully, the kittens were discovered and rescued right in time before something worse fell on them.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Atlanta Falcons: Shemar Stewart, DE, Texas A&M The Falcons have been deficient in pass rushers for years.—
Ben Standig,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
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In 2022 Placer County dropped its approval after an appeals court found that its environmental report was deficient in four areas, including emergency evacuation analysis.—
CalMatters,
The Mercury News,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Skinner had a terrible time of it for much of the season.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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What is disconcerting is when campaign donors and friends & family have commuted sentences after they have been legally convicted of terrible financial crimes.—
Sanjeev Menon,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But then two horrible shifts by the Wild turned the game upside down in the blink of an eye.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
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Some veterans have impressed at the midpoint of coach Mike Norvell's spring-practice rebuilding as FSU aims to recover from last year's horrible campaign.—
Bob Ferrante,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subpar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subpar. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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