underdressed

British

/ ˌʌndəˈdrɛst /

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

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.

A friend who was at the party with me recalls that, as underdressed as he was, Epstein pulled everyone’s focus to him—even the most powerful people in the room.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

A Times photographer and I, slightly underdressed, scuttled past the valet and into the backyard.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2025

I’m going to be underdressed for the magentaverse.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 2, 2022

During my visit to Steiner Studios, where I felt extremely underdressed, King took me around the various sets, each immaculate.

From New York Times • Dec. 3, 2021

The problem is not that the clock radio feels underdressed, the problem is that I cannot bear to watch the numbers advance in the heartless way common to this particular model.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023