underrated

[uhn-der-rey-tid]

adjective

1. rated or evaluated too low; underestimated or undervalued.

   It’s an accomplished album from an underrated band, and will hopefully get them the recognition they deserve.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of underrate.

Word History and Origins

Origin of underrated¹

underrate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman went as far to make the case that Ohtani was underrated.

From Los Angeles Times

Fuel that infectious joy with the most twirl-worthy — and arguably most underrated — track of Swift’s career, “Sweeter Than Fiction.”

From Los Angeles Times

I think he’s one of the most underrated spiritual voices in the city, and he’s a pastor who wears Js, so that’s just kind of cool in itself to get the word like that.

From Los Angeles Times

Her last album, 2023’s divisive but underrated “Strays,” leaned all the way into psychedelic rock, a cosmic exploration of life without the hazy veneer of alcohol.

From Los Angeles Times

If you were to ask which one she finds most “criminally underrated,” she’d tell you it’s Katie Henry’s “This Will Be Funny Someday.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• underestimate 
• underprice 
• undervalue 

When To Use

What does underrated mean?

If you call something underrated, it means you think the general opinion about it is lower than it should be.Underrated is an adjective, but is also the past tense of the verb underrate. It is somewhat more common to call something underrated than to say that people underrate it, but both are used. The opposite of underrated is overrated, which is perhaps more commonly used.Example: I think Brussels sprouts are an underrated food.