Meaning & use

subpar

adjective·Academic

Below an expected, average, or acceptable standard of quality or performance.

See it in a sentence

The restaurant closed early after receiving several complaints about subpar service.

His test scores were subpar this term, so he began studying with a tutor.

A note on using this word

Subpar comes from golf, where a score below par is good; in general use, however, subpar means worse than normal, not better.

Words with a similar meaning

inferiormediocre

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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