underfunded

British  

/ ˌʌndəˈfʌndɪd /

adjective

1. having or provided with insufficient funding

---

Explanation

Anything that's underfunded doesn't have enough money. An underfunded college student can't afford textbooks — or pizza. When a group or organization is funded, it's provided with the money, or funds it needs to function properly. Being underfunded means having an insufficient amount of cash on hand. An underfunded school doesn't have enough money to pay its staff and teachers, and it might have to eliminate art and music classes. If your lemonade stand is underfunded and you can't afford cups, it's unlikely to be a successful business!

Example Sentences

If people want a quicker count, then push lawmakers in Sacramento to spend more on the consistently underfunded election offices that tally the results in California’s 58 counties.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026

Funding for the UN's human rights work has long been chronically underfunded, but Turk said: "We are currently in survival mode, delivering under strain."

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

Experts say corruption, poor intelligence sharing and underfunded local policing have hampered efforts to tackle the various crises.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

On the ground level, this means community volunteer efforts like neighborhood environmental cleanups, helping food pantries distribute sustenance to families in need and volunteers assisting underfunded local libraries.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025

During much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, private detective agencies had filled the vacuum left by decentralized, underfunded, incompetent, and corrupt sheriff and police departments.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann