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

Morgan Stanley analysts Bob Jian Huang and Jie Cheng on Monday downgraded Prudential stock to Underweight from Equal Weight and cut their price target to $92 from $106.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

Morgan analyst Anupam Rama downgraded shares to Underweight from Neutral, writing that the second complete response letter for RP1 was “disappointing” and that the firm “thought the totality of data for RP1 warranted an approval.”

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Morgan on Monday reiterated an Underweight rating and $145 price target on the stock, warning that it could fall further from current levels.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

Ned Davis Research is now 5% Underweight stocks, 5% Overweight bonds, and Market Weight cash.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Underweight individuals sometimes have to train their digestive tracts for some of the foods they need.

From Diet and Health With Key to the Calories by Peters, Lulu Hunt

Related Words

• malnourished
• starved
• undernourished