underweight

American  

[uhn-der-weyt, uhn-der-weyt] / ˈʌn dərˈweɪt, ˈʌn dərˌweɪt /

adjective

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

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noun

1. deficiency in weight below a standard or requirement.

underweight British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of underweight

First recorded in 1590–1600; under- + weight

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

underweight

Subramanian noted record underweight positions in financials among actively managed funds and light exposure across other value segments.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Shelter personnel said the dog appeared underweight and hungry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

With an unchanged underweight rating on the stock, analysts Liam Robertson and Charles Strong tell clients in a note that the stock trades as a long-duration claim on the persistence of this pricing premium.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

So, if Lapping is underweight in the U.S. what is he overweight?

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

This particular summer afternoon, in a dusty geological library in Vienna, Sergeant Major von Rumpel follows an underweight secretary wearing brown shoes, brown stockings, a brown skirt, and a brown blouse through stacks of periodicals.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Related Words

• malnourished
• starved
• undernourished