underwhelm

[uhn-der-hwelm, -welm]

verb (used with object)

Informal.

1. to fail to interest or astonish.

   After all the ballyhoo, most critics were underwhelmed by the movie.

underwhelm

/ ˌʌndəˈwɛlm /

verb

1. (tr) to make no positive impact or impression on; disappoint

Word History and Origins

Origin of underwhelm¹

First recorded in 1945–50; under- + (over)whelm

Word History and Origins

Origin of underwhelm¹

C20: originally a humorous coinage based on overwhelm

Example Sentences

After last week's underwhelming win over Japan, Andy Farrell told his Ireland squad to "get over themselves" and start playing some proper rugby.

Read more on BBC

The equivalent mode in Battlefield 6 was considered underwhelming by reviewers, and Call of Duty teams are renowned for their skill in crafting explosive set pieces in their narrative modes.

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Walt Disney delivered an underwhelming September-quarter, with a tick down in revenue compared with last year.

Read more on Barron's

But for Wales, Johnson would expect to be one of the first names on the team sheet - even if his performances have underwhelmed for some time.

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The 2026 quarterback class has underwhelmed some pundits, with more excitement about the players who might be available the following year.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When To Use

What’s the difference between underwhelm and overwhelm?

The under- in underwhelm essentially means “too little” and the over- in overwhelm means “too much,” and two words can be direct opposites, but they’re usually used in different contexts.Underwhelm means to fail to impress, especially when that is the expectation. Overwhelm most commonly means to cause to be overcome with emotion as a result of an amount of something (work, stress, etc.) that’s just too much to handle. (It can also mean to overpower or physically cover beneath a mass of something).Both words are often used in adjective forms: underwhelmed (unimpressed or disappointed), underwhelming (unimpressive or disappointing), overwhelmed (overcome to the point of not being able to manage), and overwhelming (describing something that leads to feeling overwhelmed).Being overwhelmed isn’t always about stress or other negative emotions. You could be overwhelmed by a friend’s generosity or the birth of a child. Still, it’s usually about feeling a lot. In this way, underwhelm can be the opposite of overwhelm in some situations. For example, the same concert may overwhelm one person (perhaps it’s the first concert they’ve ever attended) but underwhelm someone else (maybe because it doesn’t meet their high expectations).And, yes, whelm is a word. It can mean the same thing as overwhelm, but it’s very rarely used.Here’s an example of underwhelm and overwhelm used correctly in the same sentence.Example: I never want to underwhelm the fans, and sometimes that pressure can overwhelm me, but it all goes away when I walk on stage.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between underwhelm and overwhelm.