undermanned

American  

[uhn-der-mand] / ˌʌn dərˈmænd /

adjective

1. lacking a normal or sufficient workforce, complement of troops, or the like; understaffed; short-handed.

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Etymology

Origin of undermanned

First recorded in 1865–70; under- + manned

Example Sentences

But the danger for Ukraine, Zaluzhniy said, is that its undermanned army could reach a point of exhaustion unless it can take back the initiative in the high-tech drone war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

A week after the Rams lost to the seemingly undermanned San Francisco 49ers, they will travel to play the Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens and M&T Bank Stadium.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2025

Despite such criticism Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Garry Conille told BBC HARDtalk he welcomed the support given how undermanned the Haitian police are.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2024

But that brief reprieve from a New Jersey Devils onslaught, with goaltender interference the savior, ultimately didn’t matter in a game where the undermanned Kraken defenders abandoned their netminder.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2024

The Watch now had garrisons at Icemark, Long Barrow, Sable Hall, Greyguard, and Deep Lake, all badly undermanned, but ten castles still stood empty and abandoned.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin