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.
-
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 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
He took over a team led by guards Lewis, John Petty and Herbert Jones that seemed to underachieve last season.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2019
The days of watching the Bruins underachieve are likely dwindling with Chip Kelly now at UCLA.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 13, 2017
Despite huge investments in the nation’s professional men’s league and support for the sport that borders on fanatical, China continues to underachieve on the international stage.
From Slate ● Dec. 12, 2014
But in college, first at Arizona State then as a graduate student at Notre Dame, he underachieved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Three-time winners Saracens have underachieved in Europe over the past few seasons and found themselves needing points from their final two tricky pool games.
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2026
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 are all here today because we underachieved in 2023,” Schneider said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
As many England fans would testify, Gareth Southgate took on an England team that was seen as underachieving, and restored a degree of national pride to the game.
From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2025
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
But it is a testament to the uneven and underachieving history of the Padres that four people with ties to the team could not agree when “Beat L.A.” became a big deal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 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
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