subpar
subpar — adjective
- subparpositive
- more subparcomparative
- most subparsuperlative
1. not as good as what most people would think of as normal or acceptable, especial
not as good as what most people would think of as normal or acceptable, especially when referring to the quality of work, service, or performance
The hotel room was clean but the service was subpar, so Kasia did not leave a tip.
subpar as adjective after linking verb (was subpar)
Samir's exam results were subpar this semester, so his teacher offered extra tutoring.
collocation: subpar results
Antonia felt the movie was subpar compared to the book it was based on.
The restaurant received subpar reviews because the food arrived cold and portions were tiny.
After the team gave a subpar performance, coach Cyrus ordered extra practice sessions.
- mediocre
suggests average or middling quality; 'subpar' more directly says it falls below a minimum expected level
- inferior
a stronger word that implies worse than others in the same category, not just below a personal standard
- unsatisfactory
focuses on failing to meet the user's needs or requirements rather than a general quality benchmark
- exceptional
far above the usual standard, the opposite of falling short
- superior
better in quality than what is normal or expected
用法筆記
Subject is usually the thing whose quality is being judged: a product, service, result, or performance. The opposite idea is expressed by 'above par' or 'exceptional'.
常見錯誤
2. in golf, describing a score that is better than the official standard for a hole
in golf, describing a score that is better than the official standard for a hole or an entire course, meaning the player used fewer strokes than par allows
Felix was thrilled to finish the round with a subpar score of sixty-eight.
subpar + noun (score) — golf meaning
The clubhouse manager announced that only two players had subpar rounds that day.
Anya's subpar putt on the eighteenth hole won her the tournament trophy.
Kenji needs to shoot a subpar score on this hole to catch the leader.
- under par
the original golf term; 'subpar' is a later equivalent that became more common in general usage
- over par
when a player takes more strokes than the standard
用法筆記
This is a golf-specific sense. Outside of golf, 'subpar' almost always refers to the general 'below standard' meaning and would be interpreted negatively. In golf, however, being subpar means the player is doing well because fewer strokes is better.