underfunded
Britishadjective
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She appeared on TV series “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and “iZombie” before “Abbott Elementary,” about a group of educators at an underfunded Philadelphia elementary school, became a breakout hit in 2021.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
Am I overfunded for retirement and underfunded for the next five years?
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
The Postal Service’s pension and retiree health benefits funds are underfunded because current law mandates that the funds be invested solely in Treasury debt.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 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
TB programs in developing nations are generally underfunded, resulting in weak delivery systems for treatment and prevention.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
