underachieve
Americanverb (used without object)
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to perform, especially academically, below the potential indicated by tests of one's mental ability or aptitude.
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to perform below expectations or achieve less than expected, especially by others.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of underachieve
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:
There has been particular concern that Protestant males from low-income backgrounds underachieve at school.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2024
The Angels have Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon and will still probably find a way to underachieve.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2022
Schiano’s Ohio State defenses went on to underachieve by the standards of their immense talent advantage.
From Slate ● May 12, 2021
The Browns have six Pro Bowl players on offense and four on defense, and with Kevin Stefanski as coach, they won’t underachieve like they did last year.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 9, 2020
The days of watching the Bruins underachieve are likely dwindling with Chip Kelly now at UCLA.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 13, 2017
But when Callie-Rose informs Dusty that Ruby said he underachieved in school, we believe her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
Arsenal have underachieved under manager Mikel Arteta in the past three years, says former captain Thierry Henry.
From BBC ● May 28, 2025
The team has massively underachieved during his time here, and this season looked to be no exception.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2024
We overachieved in 2022, and quite frankly we underachieved in 2023, and I think everybody recognizes that.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has overseen a unit that has underachieved this year, making him a poor fit for the role of interim coach.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says criticism from legendary former players is to be expected because the club is "underachieving".
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2025
And when describing her underachieving brother’s shortcomings, she says, “He’s got the brains of a dung beetle and the ambitions of a French bureaucrat.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
Like Newcastle, Tottenham are another underachieving team who have flirted with major honours in recent years without quite being able to get over the line.
From BBC ● May 27, 2025
Oh, and Jo Adell, the Angels’ perennially underachieving outfielder, ranks No. 8, sandwiched between Judge and budding superstar Julio Rodriguez.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2024
It was like this dragon’s hoard of worthless brass that not even Smaug’s underachieving brother would want—and with real estate being so expensive in the city, the cost of storing them was probably astronomical.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
