underdress
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
-
garments worn beneath others; underclothes.
-
a slip, petticoat, or other underskirt, especially one designed to be seen when worn, as beneath a redingote.
Etymology
Origin of underdress
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
An underdress of heavy fleece wool and waterproof canvas is worn inside, the rubber canvas trousers, with pockets, outside.
From Time Magazine Archive
He wasn't about to underdress for the occasion.
From Time Magazine Archive
From her shoulders fell a long full robe of purple byssus, over an underdress of white which readied the knee.
From Idolatry A Romance by Hawthorne, Julian
Eleanor was kneeling on the window-seat where she sometimes slept, her bright braids falling over her white linen underdress and gown of soft blue wool.
From Masters of the Guild by Lamprey, L.
She wears an underdress of pale green silk, draped with an overdress of thin ecru canvas embroidered with gold.
From Arms and the Man by Shaw, Bernard
A friend who was at the party with me recalls that, as underdressed as he was, Epstein pulled everyone’s focus to him—even the most powerful people in the room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Then one evening, in front of Sarah and Mark and a sad bowl of underdressed salad, she tells him that she heard what he said.
From New York Times ● May 25, 2023
Unless you come decked out in your best Armani or Gaultier to see Carole Cook’s new show, “Dress Up,” in the new Upstairs at the Pasadena Playhouse series, you’re definitely going to feel underdressed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2023
I’m going to be underdressed for the magentaverse.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 2, 2022
I look over at Kasim and down at my own clothes, and begin to feel very underdressed for whatever this surprise date will be.
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
His biggest etiquette pet peeves include underdressing and overfamiliarity, especially in virtual settings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
Avoid the gruesome pitfalls of overdressing or underdressing.
From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2012
Last week, after three winters of wartime underdressing, U.S. partygoers were back in evening clothes.
From Time Magazine Archive
"I can't ever put on all those other things," he declared, indicating the elaborate underdressing.
From The Wrong Twin by Wilson, Harry Leon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
