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 Seattle fatalism says every Mariners prospect is doomed to underachieve, or flame out.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 5, 2022
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
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
In the eyes of the program’s most fervent supporters, the team has underachieved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2025
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
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
"I've been looking into the statistics and, in recent years, white working class boys have been underachieving versus other demographic groups, whether that's in education, employment or poorer health outcomes", Dewhirst said.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 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
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
As if Ethan—world’s most underachieving online creeper—had anything to do with this breakthrough.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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.
