underwhelm
[ uhn-der-hwelm, -welm ]
/ ˌʌn dərˈʰwɛlm, -ˈwɛlm /
Save This Word!
verb (used with object) Informal.
to fail to interest or astonish: After all the ballyhoo, most critics were underwhelmed by the movie.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of underwhelm
First recorded in 1945–50; under- + (over)whelm
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use underwhelm in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for underwhelm
underwhelm
/ (ˌʌndəˈwɛlm) /
verb
(tr) to make no positive impact or impression on; disappoint
Word Origin for underwhelm
C20: originally a humorous coinage based on overwhelm
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012