underuse

American

[uhn-der-yooz, uhn-der-yoos] / ˌʌn dərˈjuz, ˌʌn dərˈjus /

verb (used with object)

to use (a resource, someone's talent, etc.) too little or without realizing its full potential.

noun

the act or fact of using something too little or without realizing its full potential.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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.

See Examples For:

underuse underused underusing

Last month, the California Department of Public Health issued an advisory to physicians and other healthcare providers, lamenting the underuse of such medications despite an “ample supply.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2024

Despite national medical guidelines supporting the use of antiviral medications in young children diagnosed with influenza, a new study reports an underuse of the treatment.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2023

While Americans’ overuse of health care frequently receives attention, underuse is a problem in many situations as well.

From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2023

“I think we underuse gesture in our classrooms,” Goldin-Meadow says.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 12, 2021

Overuse leads people to tuning you out and underuse means people can easily discount your pallid takes.

From Slate ● Dec. 24, 2014

Data from the tags was often found to be underused with major violations raised and explored in just 46% of relevant cases, the report also found.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

So I actually think that the phone and the voice is an underused technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Its passage reflected Democratic lawmakers’ desire to save money — about $150 million a year per prison — by eliminating underused correctional facilities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

This largely underused part of the electromagnetic spectrum sits between conventional electronics and photonics.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

Instead I kept the burden for myself, and my friendship with Nick, already anemic, underfed and underused, dwindled in obsolescence.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

For example, California’s Imperial Irrigation District has been underusing its allotment in recent years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2021

It’s delicious, except that Swift commits the capital offence of underusing the Haim sisters purely as background singers, aside from one spoken interjection from Danielle.

From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023