above par
1
4.2
- idiom
- However, my point is that there is nothing preventing either Cuba or China from being nations above par in terms of economic and political power beyond the decrepit nature of Communism.
Examples
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By the 1820s, the 5 percent debt was trading above par.
Academic text (2018) -
Soma Games has a history of celebrated visuals, above-par sound, and unique gameplay.
Blog text (29) -
Intelligence for the majority is above par.
Blog text (29) -
There were a few moments where manual focus was necessary due to lighting issues, but overall the performance was well above par for stage work.
Blog text (13) -
OK, so all of us get either subpar performance, par performance or above par, and you're getting a disproportionate return.
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Her performance in the competition was well above par, showcasing her talent and hard work.
-
The restaurant received rave reviews this month, proving that its food is above par for the city.
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His above par analysis of the project impressed the entire team during the presentation.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
More suitable or healthy than something else
237
4.2
Better in quality or performance than similar things
58
2.6
Something that is very good and lasts a long time
53
3.2
Better than most people or things of the same kind
51
3.6
Of the highest quality and better than most similar things
38
3.9
A product that has very high quality and is often the most expensive option
15
3.4
Higher than the usual or expected level
6
4.3
Being much better than others at something
5
4.3
Clearly better than others in quality or style
1
4.3
Slightly better than similar people or things in quality
1
4.2
Only top quality is acceptable
Antonyms
How Good
Surface Forms
Morphology
above + par
The meaning 'better than average' follows directly from combining 'above' (higher than) with 'par' (a standard or level): something above the standard is higher/better than expected. This compositional spatial/degree logic is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Above par comes from par, a word that means the usual level or standard. Being above par is literally being higher than that standard, so it now means 'better than average'.