underfunded

British  

/ ˌʌndəˈfʌndɪd /

adjective

1. having or provided with insufficient funding

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Explanation

Anything that's underfunded doesn't have enough money. An underfunded college student can't afford textbooks — or pizza. When a group or organization is funded, it's provided with the money, or funds it needs to function properly. Being underfunded means having an insufficient amount of cash on hand. An underfunded school doesn't have enough money to pay its staff and teachers, and it might have to eliminate art and music classes. If your lemonade stand is underfunded and you can't afford cups, it's unlikely to be a successful business!

Example Sentences

If people want a quicker count, then push lawmakers in Sacramento to spend more on the consistently underfunded election offices that tally the results in California’s 58 counties.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026

Tim says research into ME has historically been underfunded, but that the amount being undertaken has increased in the past five years, partly due to Covid.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026

On the ground level, this means community volunteer efforts like neighborhood environmental cleanups, helping food pantries distribute sustenance to families in need and volunteers assisting underfunded local libraries.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Germany dropped a long-standing pacifist tradition and started ramping up spending to overhaul its long underfunded armed forces.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

The museum was a dusty, moldy, underfunded, neglected mess.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day