underdress

[verb uhn-der-dres; noun uhn-der-dres]

verb (used without object), un·der·dressed or un·der·drest, un·der·dress·ing.

to clothe oneself less completely or formally than is usual or fitting for the circumstances.

noun

garments worn beneath others; underclothes.
a slip, petticoat, or other underskirt, especially one designed to be seen when worn, as beneath a redingote.

Origin of underdress

First recorded in 1775–85; under- + dress

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for underdressed

Contemporary Examples of underdressed

If Williams had been in school, someone might have noticed that she was underdressed and emaciated.
The Sinister Side of Homeschooling
Michelle Goldberg
September 20, 2013
There I sat as an underdressed, 31-year-old, naive imperialist in the making.
Iraq War 10th Anniversary: The Teamster
John Kael Weston
March 17, 2013
The pancakes got there, realized they were underdressed, jumped into a vat of hot oil...and came out as funnel cake.
What to Eat: Vietnamese Buffet
Cookstr.com
October 13, 2009

Historical Examples of underdressed

Was she, for instance, the underdressed one with the mole, or the rawboned giggler?
It Never Can Happen Again
William De Morgan
Remember this: it is always better to be underdressed than to be overdressed.
Book of Etiquette, Volume 2
Lillian Eichler Watson
Furthermore, he had a painful consciousness of being conspicuous among the underdressed men.
Skinner's Dress Suit
Henry Irving Dodge

British Dictionary definitions for underdressed

underdressed

adjective

wearing clothes that are not elaborate or formal enough for a particular occasion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for underdressed

adj.

also under-dressed, "too plainly dressed," 1759, from under (adv.) + past participle of dress (v.).