unfancied

British

/ ʌnˈfænsɪd /

adjective

(esp of a sportsperson, team, etc) thought unlikely to win or succeed

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Andoni Iraola will also have suitors after leading unfancied Bournemouth to a ninth-placed finish last season.

From BBC

All unfancied at the start, all part of history now.

From BBC

But this could be the year an unfancied team triumphs - unless City, who have reached the semi-finals a record seven times in a row, prevail again.

From BBC

Memories of 2019, when an unfancied England side plotted the perfect opening-day heist to derail Ireland, suddenly seemed more vivid.

From BBC

Set-pieces used to be seen as the reserve of the underdog - one of the few moments in a match where an unfancied side could level the playing field against talent-rich opposition with relentless practice and a physical advantage.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023