underweight

[uhn-der-weyt, uhn-der-weyt]

adjective

1. weighing less than is usual, required, or proper.

noun

1. deficiency in weight below a standard or requirement.

underweight

/ ˌʌndəˈweɪt /

adjective

1. weighing less than is average, expected, or healthy

2. finance

   1. having a lower proportion of one's investments in a particular sector of the market than the size of that sector relative to the total market would suggest

   2. (of a fund etc) disproportionately invested in this way

      pension funds have become underweight of equities

Word History and Origins

Origin of underweight¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; under- + weight

Example Sentences

George Russell's Mercedes was disqualified from victory in Belgium last season for being underweight - partly because the underfloor wore down more than the team expected.

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Of the three dozen analysts contributing recommendations to FactSet, there is one solitary underweight call, while the mean target price is $325.29 for the U.S.-listed stock, almost 40% above present levels.

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Lowering their recommendation on the regional Australian lender to underweight from equal-weight, MS analysts tell clients in a note that loan growth looks weak.

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Our stance remains neutral on equities, overweight on government bonds and underweight on cash as well as both investment-grade and high-yield credit.

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“The question is, do you want to underweight what is this primary driver of innovation, growth, profit margins?” said Josh Emanuel, chief investment officer at Wilshire.

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Related Words

• malnourished 
• starved www.thesaurus.com
• undernourished