underachieve

American  

[uhn-der-uh-cheev] / ˌʌn dər əˈtʃiv /

verb (used without object)

underachieved, underachieving

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.

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underachieve British  

/ ˌundərəˈtʃiːv /

verb

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

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Other Word Forms

• underachievement
  noun
• underachiever
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of underachieve

First recorded in 1950–55; under- + achieve

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

underachieve underachieved underachieving

There has been particular concern that Protestant males from low-income backgrounds underachieve at school.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2024

Schiano’s Ohio State defenses went on to underachieve by the standards of their immense talent advantage.

From Slate ● May 12, 2021

There is zero margin for Brown to underachieve, and anything short of a hard-fought loss to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals should be viewed as a grave disappointment.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 23, 2019

K-State is more likely to overachieve this season and finish in the top 10 than underachieve and wind up unranked.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 22, 2017

Cowboys comments: After the Week One loss, the Cowboys looked destined to underachieve once again.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 9, 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

He also has held himself accountable for the Seahawks’ defensive shortcomings, saying in December that they have greatly underachieved on that side of the ball and that he’s part of it.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024

The Chargers have underachieved and underwhelmed their way to three games under .500, a sunken position that has all but mathematically buried their playoff hopes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2023

Fans chanted this month for the firing of football coach Lincoln Riley — after years of underachieving — though the Trojans have defeated Washington and Penn State after an Oregon loss.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

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

When she was first hired in August 2023, Cohen inherited an unstable department on its way to a new conference with an underachieving football program.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2025

Until January though he has to get a tune out of an underachieving, underperforming squad and work out his priorities for that next transfer window.

From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2024

This hadn’t been one of those underachieving teams whose only hope was a fantastic combination of luck and miracle.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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