underwhelm

[uhn-der-hwelm, -welm]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR underwhelm ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object) Informal.

to fail to interest or astonish: After all the ballyhoo, most critics were underwhelmed by the movie.

Origin of underwhelm

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for underwhelmed

disappoint, baffle, balk, confound, dismay, displease, lower, depress, disenchant

Examples from the Web for underwhelmed

Contemporary Examples of underwhelmed

Now let's take a quick survey of the blockbusters that have underwhelmed this summer at the box office.
Is the Summer Blockbuster Dead?
Kevin Fallon
July 14, 2014
Maria “Macarena” Paz, a Caracas engineer, is underwhelmed by this explanation.
Who Will Maduro Blame for Venezuela’s Blackout This Time?
Daniel Lansberg-Rodríguez
June 28, 2014
So far, pretty much every one of those promised improvements has underwhelmed, and the skeptics have been vindicated.
"Pioneer" Health Care Plans Circle the Wagons Against Pay-for-Performance
Megan McArdle
March 4, 2013
Clearly the Academy was underwhelmed by the eligible songs this year.
The Oscars: 21 Fixes for the Show So It’s Less Boring
Evan Shapiro
February 20, 2012
Call me a snob, but I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the food.
Gal with a Suitcase
Jolie Hunt
April 18, 2010

British Dictionary definitions for underwhelmed

underwhelm

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

Word Origin and History for underwhelmed

underwhelm

1953 (implied in underwhelming), a facetious play on overwhelm. Related: Underwhelmed; underwhelmingly.