understaffed

American  

[uhn-der-staft, -stahft] / ˌʌn dərˈstæft, -ˈstɑft /

adjective

1. having an insufficient number of personnel.

   The hospital is understaffed.

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understaffed British  

/ ˌʌndəˈstɑːft /

adjective

1. not having enough staff

   her department is understaffed

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Etymology

Origin of understaffed

First recorded in 1890–95; under- + staff ¹ + -ed ³

Explanation

When a business doesn't have quite enough employees, it is understaffed. Be patient with your server if the restaurant is understaffed — they're probably doing the work of several people! Your lemonade stand is understaffed if there aren't enough workers to squeeze lemons, fill cups, and give customers change. And a school is understaffed if teachers are out sick and no substitutes are available to fill in. The word comes from the verb staff, "to provide with a staff of assistants," and the earlier noun, which meant "group of military officers" prior to "group of workers."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

understaffed

In nearby Welasco, Catalina Ozuna said her daughter is working in an understaffed kindergarten classroom for little pay while being weighed down by the cost of daycare for her own child.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026

New recruits have yet to offset retirements, and courts across the state remain critically understaffed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Many clinics remain understaffed, and vets are switching to lower-cost generic prescriptions, the analysts found.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

After her move, she wrote a letter complaining about her treatment at the Newberry ward which she described as "understaffed".

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

They don’t command the resources or attention that hospitals do, and often they’re severely understaffed, leaving such places barely equipped to deal with a normal day, much less a crisis.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman