underachieve

[ uhn-der-uh-cheev ]

verb (used without object)

, un·der·a·chieved, un·der·a·chiev·ing.

1. to perform, especially academically, below the potential indicated by tests of one's mental ability or aptitude.
2. to perform below expectations or achieve less than expected, especially by others.

underachieve

/ ˌundərəˈtʃiːv /

verb

1. intr to fail to achieve a performance appropriate to one's age or talents

Derived Forms

• ˌunderaˈchiever, noun
• ˌunderaˈchievement, noun

Other Words From

• under·a·chievement noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of underachieve¹

First recorded in 1950–55; under- + achieve

Example Sentences

Perhaps no golden generation has received as much criticism as Belgium’s, which has underachieved at every major tournament it’s played in.

From FiveThirtyEight

The Padres starting rotation underachieved last season as proven starters like Yu Darvish and Blake Snell stumbled and the progress of promising younger pitchers like MacKenzie Gore seemed to stall.

From Washington Post

Some reports Wednesday, though, suggested that Dolan is growing impatient with the pace of the rebuilding job and felt that the Rangers underachieved this season.

From Washington Post

While Los Angeles will probably get caught up in a numbers game and miss the playoffs regardless, you could make the case it deserves to be there more than the underachieving Blues or talent-strapped Coyotes.

From FiveThirtyEight