above par
1
4.2
- idiom
:
superior
- 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
-
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.
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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
203
4.2
Better in quality or performance than similar things
92
1.0
More suitable or healthy than something else
38
3.6
Of the highest quality and better than most similar things
35
3.2
Better than most people or things of the same kind
23
2.6
Something that is very good and lasts a long time
12
3.4
Higher than the usual or expected level
6
4.3
Being much better than others at something
4
3.9
A product that has very high quality and is often the most expensive option
4
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'.